《Moonlight》


 Chapter One

    Claire


    ¡°Colonists arrived on Rein after a misled warp-drive send them crash landing onto the planet¡¯s surface. While mostly an aquatic planet, the pilot was able to land the ship on a large island continent with minimal casualties. The ship was destroyed in the process, and geologists of Rein have yet to find any metals or ores that can be refined to re-create the technology required for another trip into space.


    ¡°The nearby planet of Rune was deteriorating for an unknown reason, which eventually sent its three moons (Torium, Usarium and Elysium) out of orbit. They became meteors which crashed to the nearest planet; Rein. While most of the meteorites were burned when approaching Rein, one meteorite from each moon crashed into the island surface where the newly-arrived humans had begun colonizing.


    ¡°Knowing these meteorites possessed strong magical properties, the surviving material from the Torium and Usarium meteorites were smelted into small trinkets, each with unique properties. The Elysium meteorite, however, did not leave behind any material. Instead, its remaining particles were spread into the air near its crash site, reportedly infecting a nearby colonist. This man, Matthew Marx, was then capable of bending powerful magic along with anyone who possessed the trinkets of Torium and Usarium.¡±


    ¡°Jackson, you''re going to be late!¡± my mother shouted from downstairs. I looked up, disturbed from my last-minute studying.


    ¡°I know Mom; I just can''t find my textbook!¡± Jackson replied. I quickly closed the book and bent down to slide it under my bed, but I was too slow. Jackson burst through the door and his expression soured when he saw his textbook in my hands. This wasn''t the first time he had caught me with his books, so that expression was familiar to me.


    ¡°Seriously, Claire?¡±


    ¡°I was just doing some studying,¡± I replied quietly, glaring up at him through my eyelashes.


    ¡°Well, you can study all you want Claire, it won''t matter after today. You''re not the right age, so you can''t get the Elementorium, and that''s that.¡± I clenched my jaw as anger flared up in me.


    ¡°Yeah well, you''re not going to get it either! Zac is faster and stronger than you, and he''s the top of his class. Everyone''s going to be cheering for him today, not you¡ªmyself included,¡± I added defiantly. Although, I wouldn''t be cheering for anyone today but myself, hopefully.


    Jackson''s face paled for a moment before he snatched the book from my grasp and stalked out of my room. I fell back onto my bed in a huff, closing my eyes. Let it go, Claire. You need to be at your best today.


    ¡°Claire, what are you doing up there? You don''t want to miss Jackson''s test!¡± Mom shouted from downstairs. I walked over to my closet and saw the dress Mom had bought for me to wear today¡ªa soft grey dress with a bright blue ribbon around the waist and white lace trailing up the collar. Pretty, but not something the bearer of the Elementorium would wear, I thought to myself. I slipped the dress and a pair of sandals on, then grabbed my bag and dumped everything out of it.


    ¡°Claire, don''t make me come up there,¡± my mother threatened. Not that it was much of a threat, she had only set foot on the stairs twice since Dad died.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I''m coming!¡± I called back to her. I quickly stuffed the clothes I would really be wearing into the bag and plucked the black hair tie off my desk, fastening it around my wrist.


    Pounding my way down the stairs, Mom was in the kitchen with our packed lunches and snacks. She was a good cook; it was the only thing she did for months after Dad died. A coping mechanism, the doctors called it.


    ¡°Where''s Jackson?¡± I asked, looking around.


    ¡°He already left, he was gonna be late.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡± I gaped at her, angry.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°The ceremony doesn''t start for another half an hour or so, that''s enough time for us to get there, Clary,¡± she replied, obviously confused.


    ¡°Oh whatever, let''s go.¡± I clutched my bag and bounded through the door, weaving between the crowds of families heading to the crater.


    The city of Rune was built around the crater made by Torium, and that crater was where festivals and, more importantly, the Ceremony of Elements was held. The bottom of the crater was flattened out for performances and gatherings, and the sides of the crater were made into seating and stairs leading to the center. Rune was one of the larger cities of Rein, home to about 4,000 people. People from all over the planet flocked to Rune when the Ceremony of Elements started, since only the class trained in the school here could participate. So many people moved in over the years that the houses were built small and close together to make space for everyone.


    Of course, only one class of 100 students would participate in the ceremony in the end. Families sometimes lied about their children''s ages, holding them back from school for a year or sending them to school early so that they could get a chance at being the bearer of the Elementorium. This was against the law of course, but the class size every twenty years still nearly doubled the size of classes born in the ¡°off years¡±.


    I approached the crater, slowing my pace to a walk as I took in the sheer amount of people there. Every seat in the crater was filled, and there were still people streaming in from the city. Never had I seen this many people in one place, all gathered to watch the spectacle that was the Ceremony of Elements. The competing class was milling in the center, a mass of red speckled with the grey and black of the officials who would oversee the ceremony.


    Traditionally, the bearer of the Elementorium would have it for twenty years before passing it to a new bearer. Those twenty years would be filled with riches, adoring fans, attempts on the bearer''s life, and several trips around the world. That also meant that any babies born this year would be admitted into the ¡°special¡± class, and trained extensively in the history and use of the Elementorium¡ªeverything from tactical skills to endurance and strength.


    You''ve worked harder than any of those students down there, my inner voice seethed. The Elementorium will be yours this year. It has to be! My mother''s voice broke me from my thoughts.


    ¡°Clary!¡± She exclaimed breathlessly, finally catching up to me. ¡°You''ve got to quit running off like that, you know I can''t keep up!¡±


    ¡°That''s the point, Mom,¡± I replied defiantly. She ignored me and looked around at the growing crowd.


    ¡°I was too young to remember my first Ceremony of Elements, and I was pregnant for the second one,¡± she explained absent mindedly as she laid out a small blanket on the grass near the edge of the crater. ¡°Looks like we got here early enough for a good spot, thanks to all your running.¡± I sat down next to her, my heart pounding. How was I going to get away from her? How did I know when the ceremony was going to start?


    ¡°I wish your father could have been here, he would have loved to see this,¡± Mom said, distracting me from my worry.


    ¡°No he wouldn''t have, Dad hated this ceremony,¡± I replied. My father had always supported my studying with my brother. He thought anyone who worked as hard as I did deserved a chance at the Elementorium. Some part of me took solace knowing he would be proud of me today, even if nobody else was.


    We watched the entire city file in to gather around the crater, some sitting near the edge like we were, but most were standing so that they could see into the center where the students were gathered. After a few minutes, the officials started moving and lining the students up. Time to go.


    ¡°Mom, I''ll be right back!¡± I called as I grabbed my bag and disappeared into the crowd behind us. I could hear her protests as I left, but it didn''t matter. It was almost time for the test, and I had to be there. I''m meant to do this, I told myself as I reached the houses of the city.


    I darted into a small alley between two houses and dumped out my bag. My hands shaking, I took off my dress and sandals and put on a red shirt, dark denim shorts, and laced tennis shoes. I frantically stuffed the dress and sandals into the bag, and my heart stopped. What do I do with this stuff now? I couldn''t take it back to Mom, and I couldn''t keep it with me either... I stuffed it behind a trash can and ran towards the crater again, tying up my long blonde hair into a ponytail as I went.


    Careful to avoid eye contact with anyone who might recognize me, I raced through the crowd and down the stairs into the center of the crater, jumping into the end of a line of other students. Nobody would notice what looked like a late student arriving to the ceremony, hopefully. A whistle sounded and all the chatting students around me suddenly straightened up and looked forward. I imitated them, not entirely sure what was going to happen next. I felt a chill down my spine as a gray-shirted official walked past the line I was in, eyeing each student. I held my breath as he passed me, hoping he wouldn''t notice I was two years too young to be here. He passed me, not looking twice.


    I let out a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of my early victory. The whistle sounded again, shocking me out of my thoughts. The sound of the head official''s voice filled the crater.


    ¡°Welcome everyone, to the Ceremony of Elements!¡± I grinned. I had made it into the ceremony to compete for the Elementorium.

 Chapter Two

    ¡°These students have worked tirelessly for the past fifteen years to achieve the honor of participating in the ceremony today. My name is Onyx, and I''ll be leading the ceremony today! As you may have noticed by what the students are wearing, this year is celebrating the element of fire, so the final test will be fire!¡± The head official''s voice echoed, and the crowd roared.


    I had read about the traditions of the ceremony several times. There were four tests, and each one was supposed to be related to one of the four elements. Water was usually a test of stability and knowledge, while fire was a test of instincts and courage. Earth tested endurance, and air was generally a test of speed. Since fire would be last this year, the tests would be earth, air, water, then fire, in that order. Even though each test was designed to gauge the affinity of each element, the trick was to use your knowledge of each element for all the tests, not just the one it was named for.


    ¡°As you all know, we''ll be starting with earth this year!¡± Onyx broke me from my thoughts. ¡°Earth symbolizes strength and endurance. Our students will be paired up and attempt to knock their partner down. Anyone who falls will be disqualified!¡± The nearby officials started pairing us up and moving us to give reasonable space around us.


    Students all around me were getting paired off, and I started to get nervous. Did they know? Were they going to kick me out before I even had a chance to start? An official walked toward me and grabbed my arm. Just as I started to protest, he led me to a tall and rather muscular boy wearing a red shirt. Luckily I didn''t recognize him.


    ¡°This is going to be your partner, good luck,¡± the officer said to me, smirking. Seriously, this had to be the most muscular guy here! They might as well have just disqualified me. I looked him over, terrified. He kept clenching and un-clenching his right fist¡ªright handed, perhaps?


    ¡°Aren''t you a little small to be doing this?¡± The giant asked me. I grinned and met his eyes.


    ¡°Aren''t you a little big to be picking on a girl like me?¡±


    Onyx''s voice echoed in the crater before the giant had a chance to respond. ¡°Students, are you ready? Hold your hands up in front of your chests, palms out.¡± The giant and I followed his directions, as did everyone around us. ¡°Meet your partner''s palms, but don''t start yet!¡± God, his hands are ginormous, I thought as our hands met. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± The crowd was silent in anticipation. ¡°And... START!¡±


    The crowd exploded into cheers as the giant clamped his hands over mine and pushed, hard. He nearly pushed me off my feet, but I quickly regained my balance. He was too strong for me, though, sliding me back even though I was pushing him with everything I had. I''m never going to push him down, I realized. It was only a matter of time before my muscles tired and he knocked me over. So don''t push him down. Let him push himself down.


    I concentrated on his pressure at my palms, ignoring the beads of sweat forming on my forehead. Just as I had expected, he was pushing harder with his right arm¡ªright handed. Be smooth, like water, I told myself. I took a breath and stopped resisting the force from his right arm, while moving my own right hand to the left in one fluid motion. The giant''s right hand pushed past me while his left betrayed him, pushing him off balance. There was a loud thud as he fell to the ground beside me.


    ¡°Nice work,¡± a nearby official praised. I beamed, never feeling so triumphant in my life. Onyx''s whistle blew after a few seconds, and I looked around. Sure enough, half as many students were still standing as there were before. I caught sight of Jackson for a second, and my heart stopped. He was looking away¡ªhe hadn''t seen me. I turned away from him and kept my head down, some loose strands of hair falling around my face.


    ¡°Well, that was quick!¡± Onyx shouted to the crowd, who burst out in laughter. ¡°Next up is air! For this test, we''ll be letting the students loose in the city. My officials have hidden twenty blue flags in the streets. The students will go into the city and retrieve a flag, as quick as they can! They can use any means necessary to retrieve the flags, other than injuring other contestants. Anyone caught inside buildings will be immediately disqualified!¡± I grinned. I had been running the streets of Rune my entire life, and I knew them well. Only twenty flags, though. That meant less than half of us would make it to the water test.


    ¡°Students, are you ready? You''ll have to be quick, like the wind.¡± The crowd''s cheers made it hard to hear Onyx''s voice. ¡°On my mark. Ready, Go!¡±


    My feet carried me through the crowd, which had parted to watch us go past. I darted in and out of alleys, searching for a sign of blue. Above me, some dirt fell where a student was jumping rooftop to rooftop. Smart, I thought. Getting a bird''s eye view. I scaled a short wall and climbed onto the roof, surveying the city. I could see eight signs of blue below¡ªno, seven, six... The flags were going fast. I frantically looked around and saw a swatch of blue, about 200 feet ahead of me.


    Dashing from rooftop to rooftop, I quickly closed the distance between myself and the blue flag. I jumped down into the alley that hid the flag and reached for it, but a hand grabbed it that wasn''t my own. Stunned for a moment, I watched the red-shirted student turn the corner into the street. Catch him, you idiot! I chased after him, catching up to him quickly. He wasn''t very fast. Without thinking, I jumped onto his back and desperately tried to wrench the flag from his hand.


    ¡°Get off, get off!¡± the boy shouted as he tried to shove me off his shoulders. He looked up and saw my face, and his eyes widened.


    ¡°Claire?¡± My heart stopped for a split second. This was one of Jackson''s friends, Aaron. My mind cleared and I remembered the goal; the flag. Still shocked from my presence, Aaron had loosened his grip on the flag. I snatched it out of his hand and leaped off his back, racing down the streets toward the crater. I jogged into the crater''s center, where about fifteen other students with flags were waiting. The crowd cheered as I passed them, but I was distracted by the expression on one of the official''s face as I entered the circle. He looked livid.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± The official demanded.


    ¡°I¡ªI got a flag,¡± I stammered. The crowd quieted as the official grabbed my arm, leading me to where Onyx was standing.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± He asked as escorted me across the crater''s base. We had caught Onyx''s attention now, and he was walking toward us.


    ¡°What''s going on, Francis?¡± Onyx asked as he looked from me to the flag still clutched in my hand.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Onyx, sir, this child is clearly underage,¡± the official, Francis, replied.


    ¡°What is your name, girl?¡± Onyx asked, this time to me.


    ¡°Claire, Claire Diane Tethers.¡± My heart pounded in my ears. I had gotten so far, there were only two tests left!


    ¡°I don''t have a Claire on my list,¡± Onyx said, flipping through his papers. ¡°How old are you, Claire?¡± I caught sight of Aaron lurking behind Francis.


    ¡°Eighteen,¡± I replied. ¡°But you can''t disqualify me! I made it to the top twenty contestants! I only have two tests left!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you!¡± Francis shouted, shaking me. I broke free from his grip and moved closer to Onyx, placing my hands on his papers.


    ¡°Please sir, I know I''m too young but I worked so hard to get here, please just let me finish the tests¡ª¡±


    ¡°So you knowingly disobeyed the law and deceived the people of Rune to sabotage the most important ceremony of the generation?¡± Onyx asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you thought that you would get away with it? That you would survive the tests and be awarded the Elementorium?¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°Well, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Take her away. I''ll deal with her after the tests,¡± He ordered to Francis. Frantic, I looked everywhere among the crowd for a friendly face. I found my mother''s round face looking incredulously at me, shocked beyond belief. I turned and scanned the group of red-shirted testers in the circle, looking for Jackson. I saw him moving toward me, looking determined, and a spark of hope ignited in my heart.


    ¡°Please, sir. Just let her go, she got this far and that''s very admirable. Just let her go, since it''s a special day,¡± Jackson pleaded with Onyx.


    ¡°You expect me to just drop all her charges and let her continue testing? That''s preposterous! Who do you think you are?¡± Onyx demanded.


    ¡°No, of course she can''t participate in the tests,¡± Jackson continued. My heart fell. ¡°Just let her go. She is a minor, after all.¡± Onyx looked down at me, his stern expression softening.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°You''ve gotten very lucky, Miss Tethers. I had better not see your sorry face again today. Now, run along home.¡±


    I stumbled out of the circle, astonished. They had let me go, just like that. I thought for sure I would have been taken to prison or something. Head down, I made my way through the silent crowd, my face burning. I pulled the hair tie out, releasing my hair from its ponytail. My hair cascaded around me like a golden waterfall, but it didn''t provide much protection or comfort from the prying eyes of the crowd. Tears burned at my eyes, and I broke into a run.


    I didn''t stop running until I was safe in my room, with the door shut behind me. I fell to the floor, tears flooding my eyes and trailing down my cheeks. Useless, my inner voice said. You''re completely useless, and now the whole city knows it. You should have just been a supportive sister for Jackson but you just had to go and try to steal it all away from him. Selfish. My inner voice was venomous and cruel, but it was also right. I was selfish for thinking I could have the Elementorium, it was never mine to have in the first place. The stunt I pulled today nearly landed me in jail, and I could have ruined Jackson''s chances of winning the tests.


    I don¡¯t know how long I stayed there, huddled against my door like a child. The tears had long since dried up when I took my favorite book downstairs and curled up on the couch to lose myself in the fantasy world of angels and demons. The lights in the streets came on, the artificial light streaming through the windows and into the living room. I could see the moonless night sky through the glass, reminding me of the power I could have gotten today.


    Suddenly, I realized how much time had passed since I was thrown out of the ceremony. It was just after lunch when I had gotten home, and now it was dark outside. Mom and Jackson should have been home hours ago, did something happen? I closed my book and headed to the front door, just as Jackson burst through, his face beaming.


    ¡°Clary! Guess what?¡± He asked, his excitement barely contained. He looked like a little kid on his birthday. ¡°I did it! I won the tests!¡± My throat constricted.


    ¡°That¡¯s what took us so long,¡± my mom interjected. ¡°They were going over how Jackson should use the Elementorium to protect himself from thieves for now, and we ironed out some specifics on when his lessons will be.¡±


    ¡°I start lessons tomorrow! Isn¡¯t this great, Clary?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this,¡± I managed, the words coming out of my throat mangled and twisted. I ran upstairs and locked myself in the bathroom, where I could finally breathe. How the hell did Jackson of all people pass the last two tests? He¡¯s always been a good student, but I can¡¯t believe that he managed to beat Zac. I wanted to scream. All my dreams and goals, not only destroyed but stolen by my brother, all in one day.


    ¡°Claire, open the door,¡± my mother said as she jiggled the doorknob.


    ¡°Go away.¡± I started the bath water and slipped out of my dirty clothes as my mom made her way back downstairs. The bath water was warm, and it calmed my temper. I soaked in it for about half an hour before I heard Jackson wish Mom goodnight and head into his room. I closed my eyes, wanting to forget everything that had happened today.


    When I woke up, the bath water was cold. I quickly got out of the tub and toweled off, then wrapped my warm bathrobe around myself and bundled my dirty clothes in my arms. Quietly I padded to my room, passing Jackson¡¯s open door on my way. Something caught my eye¡ªa glow from inside his room. I peeked into his room and saw him asleep, with the Elementorium glowing on his chest. Your Elementorium, my mind whispered to me.


    Carefully I went into Jackson¡¯s room, transfixed by the glow of the Elementorium. Your Elementorium, my mind reminded me. It would be so easy to take it; he probably wouldn¡¯t even wake up. I stuffed my clothes into my robe pockets and reached to Jackson¡¯s chest, hands trembling. The Elementorium glowed brightly in response to my proximity, it¡¯s light somehow calling out to me. I touched the cool metal and the glowing stopped immediately. I gasped as Jackson¡¯s eyes flew open, panicked as though he had just woken up from a nightmare. Reflexively I wrapped my hand around the Elementorium and pulled, hard. The chain broke from his neck and I backed away.


    ¡°What have you¡ªCLAIRE!¡± Jackson roared, groping desperately at his chest. Shit, I hadn¡¯t thought this far ahead. Window, something in my mind whispered to me. To my right was an open window. We were on the second floor, but the roof wasn¡¯t very high from this room¡ªJackson and I used to sneak up there all the time. As Jackson struggled to untangle himself from his sheets, I slipped through the window and hoisted myself up onto the roof.


    The night air was cold, especially since I was still in my bathrobe. I started moving along the roof toward the city wall, as Jackson followed me onto the rooftop. He reached out and grabbed my robe, pulling me to him. White light began to emanate brightly from the hand that clutched the Elementorium. I reached behind me and pushed Jackson away, a gust of air mimicking my motion and pushing Jackson three house lengths away. He looked at me, terrified, as I examined my hand. It was glowing now too, with the same white light.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on up there?¡± A city guard¡¯s voice shouted from down below. I quickly turned back to the direction of the wall and began leaping rooftop to rooftop, gusts of air propelling me forward. The wall wasn¡¯t much taller than the houses, so I climbed up and over it without a second thought. I hit the ground outside the wall with a thud, pain shooting up my leg. I pulled myself to my feet, adrenaline letting me ignore the pain in my leg as I raced into the dense forest that covers all of Rein. Normally everything would be pitch black this late at night, but the Elementorium was giving me some sort of night vision. I could hear Jackson behind me, calling out for me, as well as a few city guards who were venturing into the forest too. But they couldn¡¯t see in the dark like I could. I moved deeper into the forest until I couldn¡¯t hear them anymore, then slumped against a large tree. The Elementorium glowed warmly in my hand, one small comfort in the wake of all the havoc I had wreaked today.

 Chapter Three

    Seraphine


    The sun was setting over Lake Matthew as I left the Sanctuary to go home. Priestess Maya wouldn¡¯t shut up about the damn Lunar Festival today, as if I had anything to say to all the rich people showing up to catch a glimpse at the new Elysium bearer. Half of them would probably have marriage proposals for me, she had promised. Because yes, of course I want a bunch of rich men proposing to me just because I¡¯ve been cursed with this power. I think I remember a few marriage proposals at the last Lunar Festival, and I was only eleven years old then.


    Of course, the worst part about going to and from Sanctuary for Maya¡¯s lessons each day wasn¡¯t the lessons or her constant nagging, but Hector and Ty. My cousins, who got their daily jollies off of catching me and beating the shit out of me in an alley. I told my parents about it years ago when it started, but they didn¡¯t really care. Mom didn¡¯t say anything as usual, and Dad just asked why it was such a big deal if the bruises and cuts just healed after a few seconds anyway.


    I reached out with my mind as I walked, waiting for the hateful thoughts of Hector and Ty. Honestly, if I could just give Hector this damn power I would. My life would be a whole lot less complicated, and maybe my mom would recognize my existence for once. Ever since I was born, she¡¯s treated me like I¡¯m already dead. I suppose I might as well be to her, Elysium broke her own childhood and destroyed her chances of living the life she wanted when I was ¡°blessed¡± with the power at birth.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that bitch, she should be around here somewhere¡­¡± Ah, there they are. Hector¡¯s thoughts echoed in my mind as I ducked into an alley, letting the darkness hide me. I pulled on my jacket sleeves, trying to hide the glow of my hands in the shadows. ¡°The blessed glow of Elysium runs through your veins,¡± Maya had explained it to me. Just another thing keeping me from hiding who I am, even if I need to hide.


    I heard footsteps behind me, quickly followed by more thoughts from Hector; ¡°Can¡¯t miss her at night, she lights up like a damn Christmas tree.¡±


    ¡°There she is!¡± Hector¡¯s real voice called out as he and Ty broke into a run. I sighed and started running too, even though these pursuits always end badly for me. Ty and Hector are faster and stronger than me, and they always catch up. Always. I¡¯ve tried running straight from the Sanctuary to home, but that just makes me easier for them to find.


    I weaved in and out of alleys, carefully avoiding the trash cans and crates between houses. After a few seconds, I looked back to see only Ty chasing me. They¡¯ve done this before; one chases while the other goes around so they can corner me. Turning back around, I ran headfirst into Hector. Dammit. Just once, it would be nice to make it home without their daily beatings.


    ¡°Thought you were gonna get away today, huh?¡± Hector taunted as he pushed me into an alley, my wrists in a vice-like grip. I glared at him, refusing to speak.


    ¡°Oh come on, we like it when you beg,¡± Ty said, coming into the alley with a wicked grin on his face.


    ¡°Just get it over with, assholes,¡± I spat. Hector smiled and quickly jabbed his fist into my nose, slamming my head back against the wall. I tasted blood as the bones in my nose began to realign, but they were far from done with me. Ty brought his fist into my side, cracking my ribs and knocking the breath out of my lungs. I winced in pain, but didn¡¯t cry out. Even if someone did hear me, nobody would help. Practically the entire town hates me, for the same reason Hector and Ty do. They know I don¡¯t want my ¡°gift¡±, and that so many others did, especially Hector. He was born a month after I was, and the way he sees it, I stole his birthright by being born with Elysium. Never mind that his grandfather had to die for me to be born with it, he just wanted the power for himself.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I heard Michael¡¯s voice call into the alley as Hector and Ty hit me again.


    ¡°Aw, your little brother¡¯s come to save you again, Sera,¡± Hector cooed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± I threatened, struggling against him and his brother. Michael pulled Ty off me and punched him, hard. At least he gets to feel that in the morning.


    ¡°Get OFF me,¡± I thought to Hector.


    ¡°Get out of my head, bitch!¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Come on Hec, let¡¯s go,¡± Ty said, scrambling away from Michael.


    ¡°Going to get you one day, you¡¯ll see. Give you something you¡¯ll never forget. Take everything from you like you did to me,¡± Hector thought as he and Ty walked away. His promise of a new threat sent chills down my spine.


    ¡°Are you ok, Sera?¡± Michael asked, helping me to my feet.


    ¡°Always, Mike. Thanks for coming for me, we¡¯ve got to stop making a habit of this.¡± I grinned up at him. Even though he¡¯s two years younger than me, he¡¯s nearly a foot taller and significantly stronger. It was hard to breathe for the few minutes it took to walk home; the cracked ribs were taking a while to heal. The house smelled like potatoes and beans when we got inside, and my stomach growled with hunger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys, Sera just has a broken nose, cracked ribs, and a dislocated jaw,¡± Mike shouted to the house when we were through the door. He resented the fact that my parents didn¡¯t do anything to stop Hector and Ty, and liked to remind them when I came home injured. They didn¡¯t respond to his patronizing; they never do.


    ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs until dinner,¡± I thought to Michael.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mike. Nothing they haven¡¯t done before.¡± Upstairs in my bedroom, I took a hot shower and changed clothes. All of my injuries were healed by the time I went down for dinner.


    ¡°So Sera,¡± my father began, ¡°what did you do at the Sanctuary today?¡±


    ¡°You mean other than get beaten by those assholes we call cousins?¡± Michael interjected, obviously still angry at them for ignoring me. He doesn¡¯t understand that I¡¯ve accepted their indifference.


    ¡°Sera are you healed?¡± Father asked. I nodded, not wanting to speak or look him in the eye. I suppose part of me is still angry with them after all.


    ¡°Good. See, Mike? She¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t feel it,¡± Mike grumbled. Father ignored him.


    ¡°Now, what were your lessons about today, Sera?¡± he prodded again. I sighed.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t any lessons, just preparation for the Lunar Festival.¡±


    ¡°Really? She needed to teach you something you didn¡¯t already know from the last one?¡±


    ¡°Preparation for marriage proposals, mostly,¡± I replied. God, I did not want to talk about this. Or anything else, for that matter. Couldn¡¯t I just sit and eat with Mike in peace?


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s good. Anyone we can expect? The guests at the festival are always rather rich,¡± his voice trailed off, as though he realized he was talking about his daughter and not some asset he owned.


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re not selling my sister off into marriage, for God¡¯s sake. She¡¯s 21 years old and this isn¡¯t the dark ages. People don¡¯t get married for money and power anymore,¡± Michael protested, his anger flaring again.


    ¡°Just something to think about,¡± Father muttered before immersing himself in the task of eating his dinner. Mother sat at the other end of the table, silent as always.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not marrying anyone anytime soon, Mike,¡± I thought to him. He smirked from across the table.


    ¡°Good, I don¡¯t trust anyone to take care of you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh please Mike, I can take care of myself!¡± Mike laughed at this, making our parents glare at him.


    ¡°Sera, Mike, what have we said about telepathy at the dinner table?¡± My father asked, getting angry.


    ¡°Well what¡¯s the point of sharing the conversation if you two aren¡¯t going to contribute to it anyway?¡± Michael retorted. My father slammed his fork down in protest.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m done eating anyway,¡± I said as I quickly finished off my beans and took my plate into the kitchen. I went back up to my room and gazed out the window at the moonless night, feeling the familiar glow from Elysium¡¯s symbol on the nape of my neck. It always gets restless this time of night, as if it longs to be in the sky. I¡¯m sure if Elysium could talk, he would tell me he wanted to be a moon again.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Mike said as he came into my room.


    ¡°Hey yourself,¡± I replied, not looking away from the sky.


    ¡°Mom and Dad are the worst.¡±


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t let them bother you,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s what I try to do most days. It¡¯s not their fault their daughter is a freak.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a freak, Sera. You¡¯ve been blessed.¡± I turned to look at him, my blue-green eyes glowing lightly in the dark room.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Tell that to the entire village that resents me for having Elysium, or to Hector and Ty who take it out on me every chance they get. It¡¯s a curse, not a blessing.¡± Michael sighed.


    ¡°Are you sure you can handle them?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fight them because I don¡¯t see the point, Mike. Nothing will change if I fight back.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± He asked. After a moment of silence, he continued, ¡°At the very least you can leave some bruises for them to think about.¡± I smiled at him, but my heart still felt heavy. I would be lucky to leave bruises on them, and it would probably just make them angry.

 Chapter Four

    ¡°Sera, breakfast¡¯s ready!¡± Michael¡¯s voice disturbed me from my sleep, and I squinted at the door in the pre-dawn light that filled my room. Michael popped his head in the room, then came inside and sat on the bed once he realized I had just woken up.


    ¡°Sera, what are you doing still in bed? You never sleep in. Come on, you¡¯ve got to get breakfast and head to the Sanctuary. If we leave soon I¡¯ll walk with you,¡± Mike said, his boyish grin infectious. His light brown hair was tousled like he had just rolled out of bed, but his blue eyes were bright in the morning light. I lightly punched his arm and grinned back at him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t very well get ready when you¡¯re still lurking in my room, can I?¡± He laughed and stood up, his hands up in surrender.


    ¡°Fine, fine, but will you let me walk with you today?¡±


    ¡°No, Mike. I¡¯m not letting you be late for school,¡± I replied matter-of-factly.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡± He pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mike. Today I¡¯ll try to fight back against them, ok?¡± Michael¡¯s face lit up with happiness.


    ¡°Not just try, you¡¯ll kick their sorry asses, Sera.¡± He was still beaming when he closed the door behind him. I sighed inwardly. I suppose he had a point, I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I fought back until I tried. It had been years since I had fought back against Hector and Ty, since they quickly outgrew my strength once they hit puberty. It was worth a try, though. Part of me wished the real power of Elysium had woken in me already, so that I could get rid of them once and for all.


    I changed out of my pajamas and into some loose fitting blue shorts and a white tank top. I brushed my long, straight black hair into a ponytail and headed downstairs. Breakfast was eggs and toast, of which Michael had already had three servings of.


    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± he teased between bites. I glared at him playfully and made myself a plate of eggs with a slice of toast. ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re eating?¡± He asked, still scarfing down eggs.


    ¡°Well, not all of us are six-foot teenage boys, Mike,¡± I replied with a smile. Mornings with Mike were the best. Mom or Dad would make breakfast but didn¡¯t ever eat with us, they either ate before us or didn¡¯t eat at all.


    ¡°Six and a half!¡±


    ¡°You wish.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a teenager, I¡¯m nineteen!¡± He pouted.


    ¡°Yeah, you hear that ¡®teen¡¯ part at the end of your age? That makes you a teenager.¡±


    ¡°Oh crap, I¡¯m gonna be late!¡± Mike took one last bite of eggs and ran to the door, wrestling with his shoes.


    ¡°And you wanted to walk with me,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll be late for school if it means you get a day free from those assholes.¡± Michael grabbed his book bag and opened the door. ¡°Gotta run Sera, I¡¯ll talk to you tonight!¡± And with that he was gone. I finished my breakfast and rinsed the dishes, then slipped my shoes on and headed out the door.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡¯m leaving now!¡± I called to the house. They never replied, but I liked to say goodbye anyway.


    I headed down the empty streets, little strips of sunlight peeking through the mountain range just beyond the village. The mornings were always so peaceful, until¡­


    ¡°Sera, there you are! Right on time,¡± Hector said, stepping out of the house in front of me. Ty emerged from behind him, looking excited for their morning chase. I dashed into the thin space between the houses, then into an alley. I could hear them behind me, their heavy footsteps crushing the gravel beneath them. I glanced back for a second to see if both of them were following me, just as my foot connected with something on the ground. I tripped and fell face first into the gravel, skidding about a foot before stopping. I could feel the scrapes on my face and shoulders healing as I rolled over and watched Hector and Ty walk toward me, laughing.


    Ty was closer, and when he got in range I kicked at him with my foot, hitting him hard in the abdomen. He backed up, clenching his gut. I was happy to see he had a nice sized bruise from where Michael had punched him yesterday. Hector looked back at him, giving me just enough time to get to my feet. But I didn¡¯t run this time, I stood my ground and balled my hands into fists.


    ¡°What, you think you can fight us?¡± Hector inquired, an eyebrow raised in disbelief and half a smile on his face. He started moving toward me, and I quickly jabbed out, my fist connecting with his cheekbone. His amused expression twisted into a snarl as he felt the now tender skin on his cheek.


    ¡°You bitch!¡±


    Uh-oh. They were getting angry; just like I had feared. Fighting wasn¡¯t working, time for flight. I turned on my heels and started running again, extending my mind to try to sense their next move. And what I heard was¡­ horrifying.


    ¡°Push her down, strip her, just like I did in my dream. She doesn¡¯t have the strength to fight back. Tie her hands, gag her so she can¡¯t scream, have Ty keep watch. If I can¡¯t hurt her physically, I¡¯ll scar her for life. Take everything from her, just like she did to me.¡± Hector¡¯s thoughts cut off abruptly as my fear took over my concentration. Holy hell, he was going to rape me! My heart pounded as I kept running, trying to lose them by weaving in and out of the alleys. They were getting closer though, and with each pounding footstep my fear grew more and more. I cried out as Hector reached out and grabbed me, throwing me to the ground just as he planned. I scrambled away from him, desperate.


    ¡°Hector, please don¡¯t!¡± I pleaded, fear choking my voice. He laughed as he pushed me to the ground again, trapping my wrists beneath his hands and my legs beneath his knees.


    ¡°What, did you read my mind? Like what you saw?¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Someone, please hel¡ª¡± I started to cry out, but Hector slammed one hand over my mouth.


    ¡°Go stand watch, Ty,¡± Hector said. Ty paused for a moment, thinking twice about his brother¡¯s orders for once. He turned and walked to the space where the road met the alley between the houses, my only escape route.


    Hector turned back to me. His wicked grin was back. One hand still over my mouth, he pulled at my shirt, the fabric tearing easily. The morning air was cold, setting my bare skin on high alert. My shirt had shredded into two pieces, one of which Hector clumsily used to tie my hands behind my back. The gravel beneath me bit into my arms as I tried to struggle, but Hector¡¯s makeshift hand restraint was surprisingly sturdy. I could only watch as the rest of my shirt was twisted and tied into a knot in the middle, which was promptly shoved into my mouth. Now that I was properly bound and gagged, my cousin grinned at me.


    ¡°Time to show you how weak you really are.¡± Hector placed one arm over my neck, pinning me to the ground. With his other hand he untied my pants and took them off me, lust and hatred swarming his eyes. He was excited to do this; I could see it in those eyes. I felt tears fall down my face as he moved his free hand to touch the mark of Elysium at the nape of my neck.


    ¡°So beautiful, for the bitch who stole my life,¡± he snarled. ¡°Perfect in every way.¡± He dug his nails into my skin, clawing at the mark he coveted. I squeezed my eyes shut as he raped me, slowly losing the will to fight him until I simply laid motionless beneath him. Eventually it stopped, and Hector stood up.


    ¡°Hec, we need to go,¡± Ty said from the road. A few voices drifted from between the houses, likely belonging to some kids headed to school. Hector refastened his pants before grinning down at me once more. He kicked some dirt at me, then pushed some crates in front of my trembling body, like a child hiding a broken toy.


    Hector ran out of the alley and met up with his brother, their voices fading quickly. I still couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t do anything. I watched the sun soar through the sky as I laid there in the shadows of the alley. Eventually I managed to roll onto my side and curl my knees up to my chin where I quivered alone for a while before my mind let go and everything went black. My sleep was haunted by nightmares of Ty and Hector, pushing me down to the ground and raping me over and over again.


    ¡°Sera? Sera, where are you?¡± Michael¡¯s voice woke me from my tormented sleep. The sun was high in the sky now, telling me I had been here for a few hours. Nobody was out on the streets, though they seldom were in the small village. I heard the crunch of gravel and my body quivered at the memory of Hector and Ty¡¯s pursuit in the morning.


    ¡°Sera, is that you?¡± Michael moved closer to the crates concealing me. ¡°Oh my God, Sera¡­¡± He raced to my side and covered me with something¡ªhis jacket. I watched as he untied my hands and the gag, careful not to pull on my restraints.


    ¡°What the hell happened, Sera? Who did this to you?¡± He interrogated after removing the gag. ¡°Was it Hector and Ty? I swear to God, I¡¯ll kill them. I¡¯ll kill them for what they did to you.¡±


    ¡°Mike,¡± my voice squeaked, tired and dry from the day¡¯s events.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, Sera, you¡¯re safe.¡± Michael looked me over, the concern in his eyes filling with sudden realization. ¡°Sera, did they¡­ Did they rape you?¡± I said nothing. How could I tell my little brother that my own cousin had raped me? I watched his eyes glisten with tears, which he quickly wiped away.


    ¡°Ok Sera I¡¯m gonna pick you up now, we¡¯re going home.¡± He wrapped the jacket around me more tightly and scooped me into his arms like he might pick an injured bird.


    ¡°Mike¡­¡± I thought to him, too tired to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here Sera, you¡¯re gonna be ok I promise.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Sera, it¡¯s all gonna be ok.¡± I released myself from his mind, leaving his thoughts to himself. The streets were empty as we made our way back home, not even a sign of Hector and Ty. Maybe they were satisfied with their revenge on me now. Michael opened the door to the house quietly, trying not to alert our parents inside.


    ¡°Take me upstairs, please, I don¡¯t want them to know.¡± I wanted to go upstairs myself, to stop relying on my little brother, but I didn¡¯t think I could walk. Michael nodded and took me to my bedroom, careful not to make any noise. My bedroom door creaked as he closed it behind us, but he put me under the covers anyway.


    ¡°Mike, is that you? Do you have Sera with you?¡± My mother¡¯s voice called from downstairs.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he looked down at me. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ beaten up. She wants to rest.¡± There was no more noise from downstairs.


    ¡°Please, stay with me. I don¡¯t want to be alone,¡± I pleaded with Michael. He nodded and sat down in my desk chair, his face twisted with concern. The safety of the sheets and pillows wrapped themselves around me, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep again.


    The ground I walked on glowed white, the stars stretching as far as the eye could see. I was naked, vulnerable, afraid. Ahead of me stood a woman, her impossibly long, black hair, hiding her naked body. She glowed like starlight, with her oceanic eyes gazing intently at me.


    ¡°Who are you? Where am I?¡± I asked, my voice small and quiet.


    ¡°You are female. This pleases Elysium.¡± Her voice was melodic, echoing among the stars.


    ¡°You¡¯re Elysium? Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°Elysium is here because you called her,¡± the woman responded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t call anyone.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t knowingly call Elysium. Elysium heard your soul crying out, losing grip on reality. Why do you long for a power you are not yet ready to control?¡± She gracefully walked toward me, the sound of her footsteps drifting into the stars.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t want Elysium¡¯s power--your power. I¡¯ve never wanted it.¡±


    ¡°Denial of Elysium¡¯s power doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t want it, child.¡± Elysium reached out and gently touched my forehead.


    ¡°Your mind is troubled, child. You fight demons who covet you. Perhaps Elysium¡¯s power could free you,¡± she said. Her perfect face was expressionless and smooth.


    ¡°But the priestess said my powers would awaken when I was ready,¡± I replied, my pulse frantic.


    ¡°You have suffered much for one so young. To wield the power you were born with could end your suffering,¡± Elysium explained, slowly blinking once.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said abruptly, surprising myself. ¡°Unlock my powers, end this nightmare.¡± I didn¡¯t care if I wasn¡¯t ready, I couldn¡¯t take another day of this.


    ¡°As you wish, child.¡±


    A burning pain in my spine jolted me awake, and I found myself screaming. Michael was bent over me, trying to calm me down. The pain blazed through me, extending from the nape of my neck to flood my body. Light burst from my eyes, eradicating the traces of sunlight in my room. Michael stepped back and my mother and father entered the room, their expressions a mixture of fear and amazement. Priestess Maya burst into the room, shoving my family aside.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Michael asked her, his voice panicked.


    ¡°Her powers are unlocking,¡± Maya replied as she approached me and grabbed my shoulders. ¡°But she¡¯s not ready, the power will consume her, burn her from the inside out.¡± My mother burst into tears, burying her face into her husband¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Oh God, Sera,¡± Michael whispered.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything?¡± My father pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to seal her powers,¡± Maya said as she pulled me to my side. With one hand she held me in place while the other hand, wielding a small knife, traced a long line around the mark of Elysium. I could hear Elysium shrieking in my mind, but I couldn¡¯t move. Everything went dark.

 Chapter Five

    When I woke up, I felt like part of me was gone. There was an all-consuming emptiness inside me, taking all of my focus yet none of it at all. I carefully made my way to the mirror, not trusting my legs to carry me. Lifting my hair, I peered at the mark of Elysium at the nape of my neck. It looked as it always had, but there was now a thick black line around it.


    I went downstairs, searching for Michael who wasn¡¯t in his room. I saw him huddled just outside the dining room, obviously eavesdropping. I stopped on the other side of the entryway, listening as well.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there some other way?¡± My father asked, sounding desperate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry James, but there isn¡¯t,¡± Maya¡¯s voice sounded tired. ¡°Her powers would have consumed her; this was the only way to save her life.¡±


    ¡°But in saving her life you ended it as well!¡± Father slammed his hands onto the table in exasperation.


    ¡°It¡¯s one life for the sake of many, James,¡± Maya replied.


    ¡°The entire village already resents her, Maya. Once they discover her powers are sealed, they¡¯ll kill her in the streets!¡±


    ¡°James, please,¡± My mother interrupted.


    ¡°The power she expended last night will be enough to feed the planet for several months, maybe a year. I gave you a whole year with your daughter, James,¡± Maya explained.


    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Michael muttered, clenching his jaw.


    ¡°Michael, stop eavesdropping. If you want to be part of the conversation, you¡¯ll get in here and discuss like adults,¡± Mother ordered.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Michael responded, stepping into the dining room. He used his body to block me from our parent¡¯s view. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why after all of this, Sera still has to die.¡±


    ¡°Seraphine has always passively provided the planet with power, Michael. Just like the Elementorium and Uniflux do when they¡¯re not being actively used. However, since I had to seal her powers, she won¡¯t supply Elysium¡¯s power to the planet anymore,¡± Maya explained.


    ¡°So we just wait for the next family member to be born, and they¡¯ll have Elysium¡¯s power, right?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not how it works honey,¡± my mother replied sadly.


    ¡°Elysium¡¯s powers, though sealed, are still inside Seraphine. They¡¯ll stay there until she dies¡ªthat¡¯s how Elysium works. That¡¯s why the bearer of her power has to die shortly before or right when the next bearer is born. Once a bearer is born, they¡¯re the keeper of Elysium for the rest of their lives¡­ for better or for worse,¡± Maya said. ¡°When the residual power expended last night fades, the planet will suffer without Elysium¡¯s influence. Plants and animals will start dying, and the inhabitants of Rein will get sick and die as well. The only thing we can do is let the powers move on to a new bearer, and to do that Seraphine has to die first.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you seal her powers? Why didn¡¯t you let her try to control them? She could have survived!¡± Michael shouted, getting increasingly more agitated.


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t ready.¡±


    ¡°Bitch,¡± I thought to Michael.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Then how did she just speak to me in my mind, huh? How did she do that if her powers are sealed?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, boy,¡± Maya said dismissively. Michael stormed out of the house, gesturing for me to follow him. The air outside was cool as the sun was just rising over the mountains.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you deal with that woman, Sera,¡± he said, exasperated.


    ¡°I mostly just ignore her, though she doesn¡¯t like it very much.¡±


    ¡°But how did you talk to me back there? If your powers really are sealed, you shouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mike, but I can¡¯t do it anymore. It was just once. Maybe I tapped into the residual energy somehow?¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s walk.¡± We walked away from the house, taking in the sunlight. It didn¡¯t fill the emptiness, though.


    ¡°So how are you, Sera? I mean, after what happened yesterday¡­¡± Michael¡¯s voice trailed off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel empty inside, like someone reached in and scooped out my soul.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ the other thing? Did they actually¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said before he could say the word. My body shivered in response to the memory.


    ¡°Hector did?¡± He asked, stopping to look at me. I nodded, refusing to meet his gaze. ¡°And you¡¯re ok to walk? I mean, didn¡¯t it hurt?¡± God, he was so grown up yet so na?ve at the same time.


    ¡°Of course it did, but I heal fast¡­ At least I used to. I¡¯m not so sure about now.¡± Just then, familiar whoops and whistles came from ahead of us. Every muscle in my body tightened.


    ¡°Sera, you¡¯ve brought your little brother to protect you!¡± Hector¡¯s voice called out as he and Ty approached us.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you dare,¡± Michael threatened. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare. Take one step closer to her and I¡¯ll kill you, I swear to God I will.¡± Michael¡¯s voice was venomous, and I knew he meant it. Hector and Ty could tell he meant it too, because they stopped in their tracks. I could practically feel the anger and hatred dripping from him, and it scared me. Michael pulled me close and led me away from them, toward the small meadow near the Sanctuary.


    ¡°Talk to me, please, Sera.¡± I hadn¡¯t said a word on our walk to the meadow; frankly I was too traumatized from seeing Ty and Hector to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s just hard, seeing them,¡± I managed. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, feeling like a very small child.


    ¡°Do you want me to go back and kill them for you? I¡¯ll do it,¡± he offered, looking in the direction of where we had seen them.


    ¡°No, Mike. I don¡¯t want you to kill anyone, you¡¯re my little brother. I¡¯m the one that should be protecting you, not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Sera¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re nineteen years old, Mike. You should be out enjoying life and meeting cute girls, not babysitting your big sister.¡±


    ¡°Well, most of the girls here we¡¯re related to¡­ and there¡¯s not much to do around here that¡¯s enjoyable. Did you ever think that maybe your life is far more interesting than mine, and that¡¯s why I like to be a part of it?¡± He smiled at me, his innocent, boyish grin.


    ¡°Seraphine, what are you doing out here?¡± Maya asked, walking over to us from the direction of our house.


    ¡°Sorry Priestess, but no powers for Sera also means no lessons and no nagging old ladies,¡± Michael said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°Mike, please,¡± I said, a smile finding its way to my face. Maya looked exasperated.


    ¡°Seraphine, just because your powers are sealed doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t still have duties as the bearer of Elysium. I¡¯ll meet you in the Sanctuary,¡± Maya said, turning on her heels and marching into the Sanctuary.


    ¡°Go ahead, Sera,¡± Mike said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you back at home, ok? I don¡¯t think Ty and Hector will be bothering you after what I said just now.¡± I shook my head. Oh, how na?ve my little brother was. But I didn¡¯t want him hanging around waiting for Maya to be done with me, so I let him go.


    I stepped inside the sparsely decorated Sanctuary, feeling a chill as the cold air licked at my skin. There were only a few windows in the tall stone building, located near the ceiling. As a result, very little light made it down to the space where we worked. The Sanctuary had walls lined with bookshelves containing information on the planet¡¯s history, as well as a couple work desks and a handful of reading chairs with lamps. The bathroom was located down a hall to the left, in the same area as Maya¡¯s living quarters. It was an ascetic life, but one I had grown to appreciate. Not that any of that mattered anymore.


    ¡°Ah, Seraphine, lovely. Come this way, we need to discuss the Lunar Festival. It¡¯s only a few days away, you know.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know, Maya.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, you¡¯ll need to keep up appearances at the ceremony, because so far the knowledge of your powers being sealed is confined to myself and your family, though I can¡¯t promise how long it will stay that way with your big-mouthed brother knowing everything he does.¡±


    ¡°Mike won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± I said immediately, glaring at her.


    ¡°Right,¡± Maya looked a bit flustered. ¡°So, what triggered your powers? Something must have happened for them to have awoken before their time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, Maya.¡± Images of Hector and Ty¡¯s assault seared my mind¡¯s eye, making me wince at the memory.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the most trustworthy person you know, Seraphine. If we¡¯re going to understand your powers, I need to know what happened to trigger them awakening.¡± I remained silent. ¡°Alright Seraphine, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, then I understand. But just know that the future of all Elysium bearers could be changed for the worse if we don¡¯t know what it was that triggered your powers, and that will change many more lives than just your own.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Her words stung, but I ignored her. It didn¡¯t matter anymore, none of it did. There shouldn¡¯t be any more Elysium bearers if my life was an example of what they were going to go through.


    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    Seeming to ignore me, Maya continued on; ¡°In the past, Elysium bearers haven¡¯t had anything trigger their powers awakening other than their own mental maturity. Since I know that isn¡¯t what happened in your case, it¡¯s important we know everything we can about the trigger so that it can be avoided in future generations.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry. I think what really triggered my powers was when I spoke to Elysium.


    ¡°Elysium? You made contact?¡±


    ¡°I suppose. She came to me in the dream, saying I was coveted by demons and that her power might free me. I let her unlock them, then I woke up to the pain¡­¡± I trailed off, the memories burning my mind again.


    ¡°She? Elysium is a she?¡± I glared at Maya. Honestly, that is what she takes from everything I just told her? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just so fascinating, nobody has ever claimed to commune with Elysium before, let alone have her unlock dormant powers. Do you think you can still contact her? It would be invaluable if you could record a way to contact Elysium. It could even help the bearers of the Elementorium and the Uniflux, if they could speak to the embodiment of Torium and Usarium.¡± Anger flared in the void inside me. If she wanted my help, she shouldn¡¯t have sealed my powers, effectively ending my life! Attempting to calm myself, I let out a sigh. I would try to contact Elysium if it would shut her up.


    ¡°I can try, but I need to be alone,¡± I said. Maya nodded vigorously and quickly shuffled to her living quarters without another word. I sighed with relief, then leaned back in my chair. Closing my eyes, I reached to Elysium in the recesses of my mind.


    I was in Elysium¡¯s dream world again, but it looked different now. The stars and glowing surfaces were gone, replaced by glass walls and floors. Ahead of me was a figure, slumped into a small ball on the floor. I approached the figure, but stopped when I noticed the shimmering glass wall between us.


    ¡°Elysium?¡± I asked, hoping she was all right. The figure looked up, and sure enough it was Elysium, her beautiful face seemingly drained of life as though she was starving. She was fully clothed now, in a silvery dress and long, dark cloak that rested around her shoulders like the night sky.


    ¡°Seraphine, you found me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not talking in the third person anymore. Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we are as one now, Seraphine.¡± I shook my head. This was all too much to handle. ¡°Don¡¯t leave yet,¡± she pleaded, her face no longer impassive but filled with worry.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to handle this, Elysium,¡± I explained.


    ¡°You will understand in time, Seraphine.¡±


    ¡°Why are you trapped? You look like you¡¯re hurt.¡±


    ¡°This is all your priestess¡¯ doing, Seraphine. Cowardly woman.¡± Elysium now looked angry, and I realized that it was the same anger I felt just moments ago when talking to Maya.


    ¡°My powers are sealed, Elysium. I¡¯m going to have to die so that the next bearer can be born,¡± I explained, starting to feel desperate. Elysium stood and focused on a small point in the shimmering wall.


    ¡°That would be unfortunate, I¡¯ve taken a liking to you,¡± she said distractedly. She was now picking at the point in the wall with her long fingers.


    ¡°But if my powers really are sealed, how can I be here now? How did I talk to Michael this morning?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps our powers aren¡¯t sealed as securely as you think,¡± she replied. I refocused on the point in the wall, which she had now placed her hand over. Against her pale skin, I could see the point wasn¡¯t a random point in the wall at all, but a crack in the glass. I reached out to the crack, but the closer I got to it the more the world seemed to close in around me. I hesitated, and the darkness swallowed me.


    I sat bolt upright in the chair, gasping for air as though I had been drowning. Do I not breathe while I¡¯m with Elysium? What a terrifying thought.


    ¡°Maya,¡± I called. As much as I didn¡¯t want to talk to her, I knew she wouldn¡¯t shut up until she had heard everything Elysium said. Right on cue, Maya shuffled her way into the main room of the Sanctuary, looking excited.


    ¡°Did you do it? Did you talk to Elysium?¡± she asked, sitting down in the chair across from me.


    ¡°Yes, I found her, but everything was different this time. She was trapped, and it looked like she was injured.¡±


    ¡°Injured? No no, sealing your powers shouldn¡¯t have caused that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it must have,¡± I said bluntly. I could feel that same anger rising in me, but I forced it back down. ¡°She seemed to think that my powers weren¡¯t fully sealed; that there might be a way for me to unlock them.¡± The excitement drained from Maya¡¯s face and her shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Seraphine, I¡¯m sorry, but there is nothing we can do about your powers now. They¡¯re sealed, permanently. If you really can commune with Elysium, she should have known that,¡± Maya said sadly.


    ¡°But I did talk to her, she showed me the crack in the glass,¡± I protested, feeling desperate again. Freeing Elysium from her glass prison was my last hope.


    ¡°Perhaps you never really met with Elysium at all, dear.¡± I started to protest, but Maya held her hand up to stop me. ¡°I think Elysium may just be a figment of your imagination, a dream. I know your family hasn¡¯t been kind to you all these years, and a mental block like that could have had an impact on your powers. Elysium was simply something your troubled mind created to help you cope, which is why she was injured when you saw her today. Elysium¡¯s powers aren¡¯t truly damaged, but your mind is. You¡¯ve been through so much in the past day that you feel injured mentally and emotionally, and projected those feelings onto your personification of Elysium.¡± Maya¡¯s words hit me, hard. The numbness and the void were back, consuming everything inside and threatening to swallow me whole.


    ¡°I need to leave now,¡± I said quietly. Maya didn¡¯t try to stop me as I stood up and left the Sanctuary.


    The sun was setting as I walked down the quiet streets, clutching myself and wishing I could become very small. I didn¡¯t want anyone to see me, hear me, talk to me, or even think about me. I¡¯m useless to the world now, with my powers sealed. Maybe if I could find Elysium again, I could¡ª


    ¡°Seraphine the all-powerful,¡± Hector¡¯s voice taunted. I closed my eyes and stood still. Every muscle in my body tightened, and each hair stood on end. Images of yesterday burned through my mind.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re not going to run from us today?¡± Hector asked. Even with my eyes closed I could tell he was close.


    ¡°Maybe what you did yesterday really did affect her,¡± Ty said, coming closer. The footsteps stopped and I felt hands on my face¡ªHector¡¯s hands. He caressed my cheek for a moment, sending chills down my spine. Then his hand tightened around my hair and forced me to bend over as his knee struck my stomach. My eyes burst open, the air in my lungs rushing out of me. Before I had a chance to respond, Hector¡¯s other hand clamped around my neck and he pushed me upright again. Ty took advantage of my helplessness, landing a swift kick to my ribs. They laughed as he hit me again, this time his fist connecting with my eye. Their laughter echoed in my ears, and I felt the anger filling the void inside me like a hot liquid.


    Before I had a chance to think about what I was doing, I slapped Hector¡¯s hands away and fed him a quick jab to his nose, followed by a knee to his jaw as I forced his head down like he had just done to me. Hector stumbled back, coughing blood. I moved my attention to Ty, who looked utterly shocked. Regaining some composure, he sent out a sloppy punch toward me, which I dodged and jabbed him in the mouth, then the throat. He too stumbled back, now looking terrified.


    ¡°Leave. Me. Alone.¡± The two boys stepped back as I said this, then ran into the nearest building like scared rabbits. I exhaled, and the anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. My victory felt small¡ªit didn¡¯t even begin to make up for what they had done to me. I walked home feeling a bit better though, despite the pain from where they had hit me.


    Mike bounded toward me from the kitchen when I stepped through the door, but his cheerful expression immediately changed to anger when he saw my face.


    ¡°They hit you again? Where are they?¡± He demanded, balling his hands into fists.


    ¡°Mike, it¡¯s fine. They hit me three times, and I hit them four.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®fine¡¯? You¡¯ve got a black eye, Sera.¡± Oh. I hadn¡¯t noticed. I reached up and gingerly touched the skin near my eye, which responded with intense pain. It should have healed by now¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re not healing anymore, are you?¡± Mike asked, concern filling his voice. My heart started beating faster at the realization. I¡¯ve always healed almost instantly, for my entire life. If I can¡¯t heal these bruises by the morning, everyone will see that my powers aren¡¯t working. I¡¯ll be cut down in the streets.


    ¡°Sera, where else did they hit you?¡±


    ¡°A knee to the stomach, and a kick to my ribs,¡± I replied, absentmindedly touching my ribs at the memory. Pain shot through my side at my touch, making me take a sharp breath¡ªwhich hurt just as much as my touch did.


    ¡°Shit, Sera. Mom, Dad! Sera needs a doctor or something!¡± Mike called to the recesses of the house. I looked up at him, confused by my pain. I had felt this pain before, of course, but it seemed like the longer I had the wound the more it hurt. I could hear movement in the house, but my parents clearly weren¡¯t coming to my aid quickly. ¡°Come on, you should go upstairs and lie down.¡±


    It seemed retreating to my room to be worried over by Michael was becoming something of a habit. The walk up to my room and the initial lying down was painful, but now that I wasn¡¯t moving the pain mostly came from breathing. Mike had gotten me a couple ice packs; one for my ribs and one for my eye. He was just sitting down in my desk chair when we heard some commotion downstairs.


    ¡°Where is she? Upstairs?¡± Maya¡¯s voice asked. Shortly after, there were footsteps on the staircase. Maya burst into my room, clutching a small bag. ¡°What happened, Seraphine?¡±


    ¡°Hector and Ty, as usual,¡± Michael explained before I could respond.


    ¡°What? Your cousins? Is this the first time they¡¯ve hit you?¡± Mike half chuckled at this, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Not even close. Those assholes have been beating her every morning and night for years now.¡± Maya turned to me, furious.


    ¡°How could you not tell me this? Didn¡¯t you ever think this repeated trauma could have been delaying your powers?¡± Maya asked, her wrinkled eyes wide with anger.


    ¡°What were you going to do about it if I did, Maya?¡± Ouch. Talking hurt.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m here to help you heal. Your parents said blunt trauma to your eye, stomach, and ribs, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Ok, well your eye will heal fine by itself, just keep icing it. Your abdomen is probably fine, but I¡¯d bet your ribs are cracked.¡± Maya reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of bandages and a bottle of some sort of goo. She lifted my shirt and gently rubbed the goo all over my injured side. ¡°Apply this twice a day, every day. It¡¯s a healing salve that should ease the pain and help you heal faster. You mostly need it for the ribs, though it might make your eye heal faster. I¡¯ll put some on your abdomen too, just in case,¡± she explained, rubbing small circles of goo over my side and abdomen. ¡°Wrap it in bandages after you apply the salve, but not tightly. Just tight enough to keep the salve from rubbing off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it? A salve and some bandages? She doesn¡¯t need surgery or anything?¡± Michael asked, looking confused.


    ¡°Of course she doesn¡¯t need surgery, it¡¯s just some cracked ribs. I wouldn¡¯t recommend going outside, though. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone to see you in this injured state and realize your powers are sealed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I already worked that part out, Maya,¡± I said, feeling angry and tired.


    ¡°Just keep applying the salve and get lots of rest, Seraphine. You need to be presentable for the Lunar Festival.¡± Of course that would be what she was concerned about. Maya left the extra bandages and the salve on my bedside table and shuffled downstairs.


    ¡°Get some rest, Sera. Everything is gonna be ok.¡± Michael smiled at me reassuringly before leaving my room. But everything wasn¡¯t going to be ok, Mike. My life was over the moment my powers were sealed. I closed my eyes, searching my mind for Elysium and her glass cage, but after several frustrating minutes I gave up. Maybe Maya was right, maybe Elysium was a figment of my imagination after all.


    I shut off the bedside lamp, snuggling into the bed covers. Just get some rest, Seraphine. It will all be over soon enough.

 Chapter Six

    Jayden


    The carriage jolted me awake as we ran over something in the road. It¡¯s times like this I wished we had cars on this planet. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the technology or fossil fuels to make functional cars, so horses and carriages were the only way to get around. Not that you really needed something faster than that; the colonized area of Rein was an island barely 300 miles across.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I called to my driver, Joe, remembering the jolt that had woken me up.


    ¡°Just a rock on the road, Sir,¡± he called back.


    ¡°How many times must I tell you to call me Jayden?¡± I heard no response from Joe, but knew him well enough to know he was smiling at least a little. ¡°How much longer until we arrive at Marxus?¡±


    ¡°We should be there in about four hours, Sir.¡± I shook my head. The agency Joe was trained in must have hard-wired that ¡°Sir¡± stuff into him. No longer tired enough to sleep the remaining hours of our trip away, I reached for the newspaper on the seat across from me. I caught sight of the Uniflux, resting in its usual place under the skin at the base of my left wrist. The parasite-like trinket always gave me a strange sort of comfort when I saw it.


    ¡°ELEMENTORIUM THIEF STILL AT LARGE¡± the main headline on the paper read. It had been about a week since the Elementorium was reported missing. A shame, really. I was hoping to meet the new bearer at the Lunar Festival tonight. Apparently the Elementorium was stolen the night it was awarded to its new bearer. Smart thief, I thought to myself. If you¡¯re going to steal an object of that much power, best to do it when its bearer has no idea how to use it. I idly wondered how long the thief had been planning his heist.


    I gazed out my window for a while, pondering the vast forest that covered most of Rein. It had taken generations for the forest to grow, but Elysium¡¯s power controlled the life force of the planet so the plant and animal life had thrived in the years since Elysium infected the Marx family. I had always wondered if Elysium¡¯s power was naturally more potent than Torium or Usarium¡¯s, or if it was amplified by being melded with a human¡¯s genes. The Elementorium and Uniflux required human bearers to focus and amplify the power they contained¡ªand to protect them, of course. There are all those years before the Elysium bearer comes into power that the power remains mostly dormant, though. The wild growth of the planet generally slows during those years.


    Suddenly something caught my eye, pulling me from my thoughts. Deep in the forest, I could see the outline of a large creature. It looked as though it was covered in dark fur, wielding sharp claws and standing on all four legs.


    ¡°Joe, stop!¡± I called, fascinated by the creature in the woods. The carriage slowed to a stop, and I exited it slowly and quietly so as not to alert the beast of our presence.


    ¡°Sir, what is it?¡± Joe asked. I motioned for him to keep his voice down, my attention still focused on the beast.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? Over there, in the woods.¡± I pointed to the beast and watched as it caught a fleeing deer and tore it in half, raising the corpse to an enormous fanged mouth.


    ¡°Sir, I think you should get back inside, now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s eating, let¡¯s just watch it a little longer,¡± I protested, fixated on the beast. Never had I seen something like this on my travels, it was fascinating!


    ¡°Sir!¡± Joe¡¯s hand grasped my shoulder and shook me from my trance. I looked up at him, furious.


    ¡°This could be a new breed of predator, Joe! We should observe it and record any information we can discover,¡± I started, then stopped as I realized he was terrified.


    ¡°Sir, I could be wrong, but I believe that is the Tamani. We should leave here immediately and get the news to Marxus as soon as possible. It¡¯s the closest settlement and likely the first place the beast will go when it gets hungry again.¡±


    ¡°The Tamani? But that¡¯s¡ª¡± impossible. No, maybe it wasn¡¯t. The Tamani was captured and caged generations ago, but it reportedly grew stronger when each Elysium bearer came into power. It could have escaped its prison if the current bearer had just come into her powers¡ªthe beast was held underground, not far from here. We were probably the first ones to see it, assuming it killed the guards assigned to the prison.


    ¡°Please, we need to leave, Sir,¡± Joe pleaded. I nodded and climbed back into the carriage, still immersed in thought as I observed the beast. I had barely gotten into the carriage when I heard the snap of the whips on the horses and the carriage jolted forward. If that was the Tamani, we needed to get to Marxus as quickly as possible. The Uniflux glowed under my skin in response to my thoughts, lightly vibrating in anticipation. I did my best to push the beast from my mind as I focused on our projected arrival in Marxus, four hours from now. The Uniflux vibrated painfully as I closed my eyes and let the hours pass swiftly. When I opened my eyes, the carriage was just pulling into Marxus.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, Sir,¡± Joe¡¯s voice sounded from the front of the carriage. ¡°I hope your trip wasn¡¯t too long.¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, Joe.¡± I gathered my overcoat and hurried out of the carriage, slipping the coat on as the chilly evening air met my skin. There was a small burn on my skin where the Uniflux was residing, but it would be healed in a couple minutes or so. The village of Marxus was lit up with lanterns and bustling with people who had arrived for the festival. To my right, a group of officials were approaching. I jogged toward them, startling them a bit.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You¡¯re the officials for the festival, correct?¡± I asked. Not waiting for an answer, I continued, ¡°We saw what we believe to be the Tamani on our way here. If so, Marxus is in the most immediate danger and everyone should evacuate, as quickly as possible.¡± The officials smiled.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Master Jayden. We are aware of the beast¡¯s presence and assure you that it has been dealt with,¡± the official in the middle replied.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve recaptured it, then? That¡¯s good to hear,¡± I said, unable to hide my sigh of relief. Hopefully there weren¡¯t many lives lost in the process of the beast¡¯s capture.


    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll please follow us, the guests have been eagerly awaiting your arrival,¡± one of the officials said. I glanced back at Joe, who was gathering my luggage from the carriage. He would send it with one of the officials to be taken to where we were staying tonight, then return to me soon enough. Joe was trained not just as a driver, but primarily as a bodyguard. He was assigned to me when I was selected as the new bearer of the Uniflux, three years ago.


    Joe and I followed the officials through the streets of Marxus, greeting several rich guests on our way to the brightly lit meadow near the tall, stone Sanctuary. I caught sight of a young woman standing in the meadow alone, her dark hair blending into the night sky as her pale skin glowed lightly. Her turquoise eyes glinted in the lamplight as she surveyed the crowd in front of her. She wore a medium-length black dress and a white shawl, which was adorned with the marks of Elysium. The bearer of Elysium, surely. She was the first female to ever be born with the gift, and was quite beautiful. I noted that the area around her left eye didn¡¯t glow as brightly as the rest of her skin, though. Covered with makeup, perhaps? But why? My thoughts were distracted by some commotion in the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s coming! We all need to get out of here, now! Everyone is going to die!¡± exclaimed a young man with light brown hair. Joe moved to walk between the commotion and myself. We watched as some officials went to the man, dragging him away from the crowd.


    ¡°What was he talking about?¡± I asked the officials ahead of us as we approached the meadow.


    ¡°Nothing of importance¡ªhe was probably under the influence of alcohol, Master Jayden.¡± Before I had a chance to respond or ponder the young man¡¯s words more, we were at the edge of the meadow. The officials gestured for me to proceed, and Joe nodded as he stepped to the side. I walked into the lush meadow to stand beside the Elysium bearer.


    ¡°Good evening, Miss. My name is Jayden Cortez. I¡¯m the current bearer of the Uniflux,¡± I said, greeting her with a smile.


    ¡°I could tell, your skin glows like mine does,¡± she replied, not looking at me. Her face was impassive, though I could see a hint of guilt in her eyes. Guilt from what?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, where are my manners?¡± she said, turning to me and painting a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m Seraphine Phoenix, bearer of Elysium¡ªas I¡¯m sure you already guessed.¡± The crowd milled about, ignoring our presence. The officials who had led me here had long since left to attend to other duties, and Joe was scanning the area for any potential threats.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, Seraphine, why are you wearing makeup?¡± The smile left her face and she looked back out at the crowd.


    ¡°People wear makeup all the time, Jayden. I don¡¯t see why it matters.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but that isn¡¯t just any makeup. In fact, it¡¯s the only artificial product on you tonight. I might understand if the concealer was spread all over your face, but it isn¡¯t. Your skin is flawless, so you would have no need to wear it anyway. Having the makeup applied only to the skin around your eye suggests you¡¯re trying to hide something. A bruise, perhaps?¡± Seraphine sighed and turned back to me. Her face was still impassive, but her eyes revealed her troubled thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯re a clever one, aren¡¯t you?¡± She asked, the hint of a genuine smile teasing at her lips. ¡°If you must know, you¡¯re correct. The concealer is hiding a bruise around my eye.¡±


    ¡°So why would an Elysium bearer need to hide an injury that should have healed in a matter of seconds? And more importantly, why would a beautiful, gifted woman such as yourself be haunted by such anguish that she has to hide it with every fiber of her focus? Particularly on a festive night such as this.¡± Seraphine said nothing for a moment.


    ¡°Very clever,¡± she replied eventually.


    ¡°Your eyes give you away,¡± I explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die, Jayden.¡±


    ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve asked my brother to kill me after the festival tonight.¡± My mind spun at her answer. Suicide? Why would she commit suicide? Unless she didn¡¯t want her powers of course, but something told me she had a sense of duty that would override any selfish thoughts such as that. How would her brother kill her, anyway? She heals so quickly that he would have to kill her in one blow¡­ though apparently, she wasn¡¯t healing all that fast.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, quieting my thoughts.


    ¡°Because my powers are sealed, Jayden. Without them, the world will fall into chaos. My death will bring about the birth of the next Elysium bearer, and everything will go back to how it should be,¡± she explained. For the first time all night, I saw a real emotion cross her face¡ªanger. What she said made sense, though. With her powers sealed, she would heal like any other human. It also meant that she wouldn¡¯t passively provide Rein with Elysium¡¯s power, rendering her useless.


    ¡°I assume the people of Marxus don¡¯t know,¡± I said, my thoughts escaping through my voice.


    ¡°I would be dead already if they did.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We need your help.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°My brother and I. The village is going to be attacked by the Tamani, and I don¡¯t have the power to stop it.¡±


    ¡°But the officials said they had dealt with the Tamani¡­¡± I trailed off. Why would they tell me if they hadn¡¯t? They wouldn¡¯t want to cancel the festivities; nor would they want to be viewed as failures.


    ¡°The officials lied to you,¡± she replied simply.


    ¡°So that man in the crowd¡ª¡±


    ¡°That was my brother. He was trying to warn everyone, but clearly that didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°I control the flow of time, Seraphine. I don¡¯t see how that will be able to take down that beast. Are you sure you can¡¯t unlock your powers somehow? Controlling life and death, that kind of power would be useful against the beast.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would be standing here talking to you if I could use my powers?¡± She asked, anger and frustration taking control of her. Before I could respond, a loud thud came from the outskirts of the village. The crowd fell silent and Seraphine and I looked to the direction of the noise. Another thud sounded, this time closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming,¡± Seraphine said quietly.

 Chapter Seven

    Seraphine


    ¡°We need to get everyone out,¡± Jayden said, desperation causing his voice to crack. The crowd was silent; everyone was staring into the dark night, not seeing what was headed toward them.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± I said. If Michael had been able to get everyone out when he tried, they might have stood a chance. Now our only hope was Jayden. The beast came another step closer; crushing a couple houses in its wake. The light from the festival illuminated the destructive paw, revealing dark fur and long claws. The beast lowered its head, the tip of its mouth coming into the light. Saliva and blood dripped from its fangs as it sniffed the nearby air, searching for its next meal. The crowd erupted into shrieks of terror as the guests ran in every possible direction. Jayden¡¯s bodyguard came into the circle, speaking to his charge.


    ¡°Joe, I know it isn¡¯t safe but I need to stay and see what I can do,¡± Jayden said to his guard. Screams echoed in my mind as people were caught by the Tamani, torn apart and eaten.


    ¡°Joe, is it?¡± I asked, stepping closer to Jayden and his bodyguard. He nodded, looking me over. ¡°Joe. Do you think you could try to get people out of the village, or into the Sanctuary? We can try to distract it while you do.¡± Joe looked at Jayden cautiously, obviously not wanting to leave his charge unprotected. Finally, he nodded and ran off into the crowd. I looked around briefly for Michael, hoping he was somewhere safe.


    ¡°You should go too,¡± Jayden said to me, his gaze focused on the Tamani.


    ¡°No. I would rather die to that thing than watch it kill any more people.¡± Well, maybe I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing it kill a couple people¡ªHector and Ty. I shook the thoughts from my head.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Can you do anything to it? Slow it down, or something?¡±


    ¡°I can try,¡± he said before breaking into a run towards the beast. I followed close behind, not sure what exactly I was going to contribute. My side burned where my ribs were still broken--surely this wasn¡¯t going to help their healing process.


    We approached the beast and Jayden raised his left hand to it. I could see the Uniflux outlined in the back of his hand, glowing brightly. Jayden closed his eyes and the beast slowed slightly, allowing enough time for its next victim to run away. One life saved, at least. He looked like a hero from a story book, with his dark hair and coat flapping in the wind behind him as his hand glowed a bright golden color. Jayden held the beast for a couple more seconds before dropping his hand and stumbling back. Behind us, Joe was ushering people out of the village, but half of the crowd was already dead¡ªeither eaten by the beast or lying in pieces where they were killed. The beast turned its attention to Jayden, who raised his hand again and slowed the beast once more.


    ¡°Seraphine, I can¡¯t hold it much longer!¡± He shouted over the screams of terror.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Back up, we need to hold it off long enough for the people to get out!¡± How were we going to do that, though? Everyone was on foot; any horses that were here were long since killed or scared off. The light from Jayden¡¯s palm was dimming, he was obviously going to lose control of the beast soon. Instinctively, I ran to his side and placed my hands on his shoulders, trying to focus my power into him. Even though I couldn¡¯t use them myself, perhaps I could be a conduit of sorts. The light returned to his palm and the beast slowed again.


    ¡°Even if we can hold it, nobody will get out alive! Eventually we¡¯ll lose control of it again, and it will kill everyone!¡± Jayden shouted. I closed my eyes. He was right, of course. Unless we could kill or trap the thing, it was going to slaughter everyone. I could feel his power waning once more, despite my best efforts to lend him my strength. What¡¯s more, I could feel my own vitality being drained along with his, probably a side-effect of excessively controlling time.


    The light from Jayden¡¯s hand dissipated and we both fell as the beast resumed its full speed once again. I watched in horror as the beast wrapped its jaws around Jayden, who had fallen unconscious. The darkness was closing in, though, as my consciousness slipped away.


    I was in Elysium¡¯s glass castle again, but the walls were cracking and shattering all around me. I had searched for Elysium in my mind for days, but never found her. Now here she was, right in front of me, her glass prison apparently untouched by the chaos around it.


    ¡°Seraphine, quickly,¡± she said, her voice urgent.


    ¡°Why am I here? I need to help Jayden.¡±


    ¡°Usarium has protected itself, Seraphine. Time has stopped, but it won¡¯t last for long.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do? You aren¡¯t real, you¡¯re a figment of my imagination.¡±


    ¡°If I was in your imagination, how would I know that time had stopped, even when you didn¡¯t know?¡± She had a point. If she was created solely by my mind, she couldn¡¯t know anything that I didn¡¯t. Her hand was still on the glass, revealing the thin crack in the wall. I stepped forward and reached out, the walls and floors crumbling around me. I had to make it this time. I couldn¡¯t hesitate.


    My fingertip touched the glass, and the wall shattered. Elysium smiled at me, her face changing into my own. I felt my veins ignite as though they were on fire as Elysium slowly dissipated into starlight.


    I opened my eyes and raised my hand as time resumed. I could feel the Tamani¡¯s life force, and it was under my control. Anger boiled up in me as the beast raised its head, lifting Jayden higher into the air.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I commanded. The beast froze in place. I felt the power surging through me, a wildfire in my veins. ¡°Release.¡± Jayden fell from the beast¡¯s mouth, crying out in pain as he hit the ground. ¡°Die,¡± I commanded. The beast¡¯s pupils contracted and it roared as it fell to the ground.


    But it wasn¡¯t over. I could feel everyone¡¯s anger, everyone¡¯s hatred and fear all around me, echoing throughout my lifetime. I could feel their hatred they had harbored for me for so long. All of their emotions mixed with my own fear and pain, and it was too much. My head felt like it was going to explode. I stumbled and cried out, holding my head.


    The power was too much for me to control; it was burning me from the inside out just like Maya said it would. Suddenly I could feel nothing but anger. I could sense nothing, only the life forces of those around me. I turned and walked toward the crowd, who had stopped their panicked escapes.


    ¡°You are the demons who covet this power,¡± I spoke to the crowd of people, my voice echoing among the stars. ¡°You are the source of this vessel¡¯s pain, of her anguish.¡± I could feel their spirits flicker with fear. ¡°I will rid the stars of your presence, as you wished to remove the vessel from existence.¡± I walked forward, each person falling to their knees as I passed.

 Chapter Eight

    Jayden


    Slowly I opened my eyes, my ears ringing with screams of fear. My body ached everywhere, but I could feel my wounds mending themselves. Beside me was the Tamani, dead. I looked ahead and saw Seraphine glowing brightly, leaving death in her wake. I pushed myself off the ground, doing my best to ignore the pain as I stood. My head pounded as I limped toward Seraphine. Why had she left me alive? Or perhaps she couldn¡¯t kill me as easily as she was killing everyone else. It was obvious she had somehow unlocked her powers, but she lost herself along the way¡ªor lost control. Elysium¡¯s power was killing in droves; only a dozen people remained as I approached her. Joe was frantically moving people away from Seraphine when he caught sight of me.


    ¡°Jayden, don¡¯t come any closer!¡± he shouted to me. Six more people fell to the ground as Seraphine turned to look at me.


    ¡°Usarium,¡± Seraphine¡ªElysium, said. Her turquoise eyes were glowing brightly as three more people collapsed behind her. The Uniflux vibrated painfully in response to her words, traveling quickly from my hand up my arm to my neck, burning its trail into my skin. I winced in pain, covering my neck where the Uniflux buzzed.


    ¡°Seraphine, are you in there?¡± I asked her, the pain in my neck growing. Seraphine faltered for a moment at my words, the light from her eyes flickering.


    ¡°Jayden¡­ please¡­¡± she said, her normal voice returning but sounding choked. So Seraphine was still in there, somewhere. If I didn¡¯t stop her soon, Elysium would kill all of us. The light returned to Seraphine¡¯s eyes and she quickly turned to the survivors, tossing them aside with a flick of her hand one by one. She paused when she saw Joe. This was it, probably my only chance to stop her. I ran forward and tackled her, knocking her to the ground. Her head hit the hard soil with a thud, and the light faded from her eyes before they closed. The Uniflux calmed and the pain faded, allowing me to sigh in relief. It was over, for now. But was Seraphine alright? I quickly placed my forefingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but there. She was going to be fine.


    ¡°Is she¡­¡± Joe started, approaching cautiously.


    ¡°She¡¯s just unconscious,¡± I replied, answering his unasked question.


    ¡°Did she really kill the Tamani?¡± he asked, looking over at the mass of fur that was the beast.


    ¡°I think so. Pretty remarkable, isn¡¯t it? Nobody has ever been able to kill it before, not even the previous Elysium bearers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that power was the same as any old Elysium bearer, Sir.¡±


    ¡°No, I think Elysium might have taken over for a while. From what I learned about Seraphine when we were talking earlier, I don¡¯t think she could do this,¡± I said, looking around at the corpses. About a third of the casualties were from Seraphine, not the Tamani. At least Rein was free from the beast now, but at what cost? The beast and Seraphine took down an entire village, including over a hundred guests. Rich guests. They would surely be missed, and once people realized they were missing this would be the first place they looked.


    ¡°We need to get her out of here, Joe.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re taking her with us? What if she wakes up?¡±


    ¡°Elysium is the one that did all of this, not Seraphine. I doubt she¡¯ll even remember what happened,¡± I said, looking down at her. She looked so peaceful, as though she were asleep. I remembered her eyes, how much pain she was in. That pain wouldn¡¯t go away quickly. ¡°Are there any horses left?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check, Sir,¡± Joe said with a nod before racing to where our carriage was taken when we got here.


    ¡°Sera? Are you out here?¡± A voice called from the village. I stood and turned in the direction of the voice, focusing on the darkness. After a moment, I could see a figure in the shadows walking toward us.


    ¡°Sera? Anybody?¡± The voice called again, sounding increasingly more desperate.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I asked the figure.


    ¡°Oh God¡­¡± The figure had reached the Tamani¡¯s body. He looked around, stumbling back as he saw the sheer amount of death around him. Slowly the figure stepped into the light, and I recognized the young man who had been carried out of the crowd earlier¡ªSeraphine¡¯s brother.


    ¡°You¡¯re her brother, right?¡± I asked as he came closer. He was tall with messy light brown hair, his bright blue eyes filled with fear. He didn¡¯t look much like Seraphine at all, other than the high cheekbones.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± he asked me, pulling himself away from the death all around. His gaze locked on Seraphine, lying still at my feet. ¡°Sera,¡± He murmured, running to her side. He spoke to her quietly at first, then louder as he grew more desperate. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± he finally asked, turning to focus his anger on me.


    ¡°She¡¯s just unconscious. You¡¯re her brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Michael. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jayden, I helped your sister take down the Tamani. Well, tried to, anyway.¡±


    ¡°She asked some rich idiot from the festival for help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not rich or an idiot. Seraphine asked for my help because I¡¯m the bearer of the Uniflux,¡± I replied curtly. Honestly, did I look rich? Well, I suppose I might¡ªI was dressed in my best clothes for tonight, and had amassed quite a fortune since becoming the bearer of the Uniflux. I spent most of it on books.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Michael said quietly, his whole demeanor changing. He turned back to Seraphine. ¡°So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°The beast attacked, just like she said it would. We tried to get everyone to safety, but it killed a lot of people. I could only slow it down, it was Seraphine who killed it in the end,¡± I replied, choosing to leave out the part about her killing the rest of the guests.


    ¡°But how did the people over here die? I mean, the beast only got that far,¡± he said, looking over at the dead beast, ¡°and these people aren¡¯t exactly torn apart or eaten like the rest of them.¡± I sighed. He was smarter than he looked, apparently.


    ¡°Seraphine lost control after she killed the beast. I was only able to stop her by knocking her out, otherwise we would be dead too.¡±


    ¡°So, she found a way to break the seal on her powers? How did she do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know. Last thing I remember, she and I were slowing it down so that the guests could get out. When I couldn¡¯t hold the beast back anymore, I blacked out. When I woke up, she was killing people left and right¡­¡± I trailed off, seeing the anguish in Michael¡¯s eyes. It was at this moment that Joe approached, looking victorious.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve rounded up a couple horses and hitched them to the carriage. We should leave as soon as possible,¡± Joe said to me.


    ¡°Do you want to come with us?¡± I asked Michael. ¡°We¡¯re headed back to my home in Arden, and we were planning to take Seraphine with us.¡±


    After a few moments, Michael finally replied, ¡°No, I should stay here. Someone needs to check for survivors, and I should probably take the news to the guards at the beast¡¯s prison.¡± He paused for a moment, wrapping his hand around Seraphine¡¯s and squeezing tightly. ¡°You should take Sera with you, though. It might do her some good to be away from this place.¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to give you a ride? We¡¯ll be going right past the prison,¡± I offered, already knowing the response.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll walk there, or find one of the horses,¡± he replied, as expected. I pulled a slip of paper and pen out of my coat, scribbling a quick note on it.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, offering Michael the paper. ¡°That¡¯s the address for my home in Arden. Come visit us once you¡¯re finished here, I¡¯m sure Seraphine will be happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll catch up with you guys soon.¡±


    ¡°Sir, would you like me to carry her to the carriage?¡± Joe offered. He was obviously trying to hurry us along, but I didn¡¯t like the thought of leaving Michael here alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her,¡± Michael said before I could reply. I watched as he carefully lifted her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. It didn¡¯t appear this was the first time he had done this for her. I remembered the bruise she was hiding, and briefly pondered how it got there in the first place.


    We walked to the carriage in silence. As awful as tonight¡¯s events had been, it felt good to walk away from it all. Part of me was glad that the Tamani was finally dealt with once and for all, and that Seraphine had unlocked her powers, but my more rational side told me that it wasn¡¯t worth it. At least a hundred people died tonight, and it could have all been prevented. If the officials hadn¡¯t lied to me, or if the guests had listened to Michael¡¯s warning¡­ I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Best not to focus on the past.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come with us?¡± I asked one last time as Michael set Seraphine down in the carriage. She was still out cold, and part of me wondered if she was going to wake up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Sera would want me to find my own way¡ªto live my own life.¡± He paused, lost in thought. ¡°Just¡­ tell her I love her, ok? And not to worry about me or come looking for me. I¡¯ll come visit soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she knows,¡± I said, climbing into the carriage seat across from Seraphine. Michael gave me a sad smile, the day¡¯s events obviously taking their toll on him. He squeezed Seraphine¡¯s hand one last time before backing away from the carriage.


    ¡°See you soon, Michael!¡± I called to him as Joe shut the carriage doors. ¡°Are you ok to drive through the night, Joe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir. We should arrive in Arden by dawn.¡±


    ¡°Stop if you need to, I don¡¯t want you falling asleep at the reigns.¡± Joe nodded and disappeared from the carriage window, followed a moment later by the carriage shaking as he got into his seat. Slowly we pulled away from Marxus, or what was left of it. I watched Michael¡¯s silhouette fade as we drove away into the darkness. It wasn¡¯t very dark in the carriage, though. Seraphine and I were both giving off light that illuminated the inside of the carriage. Her silvery glow somehow made her look serene, in a way. We had been driving for about an hour when Seraphine opened her eyes, which were glowing softly in the darkness. She suddenly sat upright, obviously startled.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± she asked cautiously.


    ¡°You¡¯re in my carriage, Seraphine. We¡¯re headed to Arden.¡±


    ¡°Arden? Wait, what happened at Marxus? I remember Elysium, and killing the Tamani¡­ but the rest is blurry.¡± She held her head, looking like she was trying to will the memories back to her.


    ¡°You¡­ lost control,¡± I said finally. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly how it happened, but you must have lost control after you killed the beast. When I woke up, people were dying just by being near you. It was rather terrifying, honestly. Do you remember when you asked me to stop you? I think that was you, at least.¡± Seraphine¡¯s brow furrowed.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember any of it.¡± She stared out the small window for a few minutes before asking, ¡°How many people did I kill? Do I want to know?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She was silent again. ¡°Is Michael ok? Did you see him? Did I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Michael is alive and well, Seraphine. He sent you off, actually. He asked me to take you with me, and to leave him behind. He wanted to look for survivors, and spread the news.¡± Seraphine rested her head against the carriage wall, still staring out the window. She was hard to read when I couldn¡¯t see her eyes.


    ¡°Good for him,¡± she said eventually. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be tied down by me anymore. He needs to go out and see the world.¡±


    ¡°He asked me to tell you that he loves you, Seraphine, and that he would visit soon. I left the address for my house in Arden with him, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll meet us there soon.¡± She was silent for a while, and I thought I could see a tear fall from her luminous eyes. I looked away, feeling as though I should give her some sense of privacy.


    ¡°So your house in Arden is where we¡¯re headed, then?¡± She asked, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Yes. I live there with Joe. We have separate living spaces, and there¡¯s plenty of extra rooms. I just hope you don¡¯t mind books,¡± I added, my face flushing. I had been collecting rare and interesting books since I was a child, but once I was chosen to bear the Uniflux I found myself with more money than I knew what to do with. I bought the house in Arden as a place to escape, and to house all my newly acquired books. Nobody had ever seen my collection; the only guests I had ever entertained were my parents.


    We rode in silence for a while, both of us looking out of our own small windows. I wanted to stay awake, to talk with Seraphine more, but exhaustion was slowly overcoming me. My eyelids felt like they were weighed down by lead, and I couldn¡¯t focus on anything. I let them close, knowing we would be in Arden when I woke up.

 Chapter Nine

    Claire


    The marketplace in Kiso was best at lunchtime; there were so many people milling around with so many stories to tell. I rarely talked to any of them, though, I can¡¯t risk them remembering me if an official came looking for me. When the marketplace was busy was the best time for me to get food, though. Nobody expects a small, innocent looking blonde girl to be stealing their bread. Thief, my conscience nagged. Ok, so I¡¯ve become a bit of a thief since I left Rune, but it isn¡¯t like I have much of a choice! If I stay anywhere for too long I start to get paranoid that people are after me, so it¡¯s not like I could get a job or anything. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve come to Kiso, the city built around Usarium¡¯s crash site. This is where the Uniflux bearer gets chosen¡ªor should I say infected. I¡¯m hoping I can find the current bearer, Jayden Cortez, and he can help me.


    But first, I needed to eat. I hadn''t eaten anything yet today, and only had a bit of bread and an apple yesterday. I missed my mom¡¯s cooking, that¡¯s for sure. I weaved through the crowds of people, following my nose to a grilling stand. My mouth watered as I eyed the perfectly cooked meats; I had been living off bread crumbs and stolen fruit since I fled Rune with the Elementorium. There weren¡¯t quite as many customers at this stand, since most people were too poor to afford meat. You¡¯re going to get caught, my mind warned me. I pushed the thought away and weaseled into the group of people surrounding the stand.


    The man running the stand saw me, and greeted me with a smile before going back to his work. I inhaled the delicious smell of the meat, my stomach growling. He had a small grill just behind the stand that he was working on, so he was half turned away from me. Laid out on the stand were several kabobs full of skewered meat. The people around me were eagerly watching the man cook, and weren¡¯t paying much attention to anything else. I moved to the edge of the group where I had a clear shot at the kabob furthest from the cook. My heart pounded in my chest and I took a deep breath. You can do this, I told myself. I reached out and grabbed the kabob, quickly pulling it close to my chest. Just then, the cook turned from his grill with a fresh plate of kabobs.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he said, catching sight of me out of the corner of his eye.


    Crap. I ran through the crowd, who had now turned their attention to me. Keeping my head down and the kabob close to my chest, I darted through the mass of people in the marketplace.


    ¡°Someone catch her!¡± I heard the cook call into the crowd. Luckily, most of the people around me hadn¡¯t seen the commotion at the meat stand and were oblivious to what was going on. As I reached the edge of the marketplace, the crowd started to thin. I looked around, desperate for a hiding place. Behind me, a young boy who looked to be eleven or twelve ran out of the crowd and grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± he said, pulling me forward. I followed him down the unfamiliar streets of Kiso, until we found our way to an alley that was blocked off by crates and trash cans. We climbed over the trash can and hid behind it as a couple guards ran past.


    ¡°They never find us here,¡± the boy said, his face beaming. ¡°Go ahead, you can eat now, it¡¯s safe,¡± he continued, seeing the shocked expression on my face.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, still clutching the kabob close to me.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Kyle,¡± the boy responded. ¡°Don¡¯t let your food go to waste after you worked so hard to get it,¡± Kyle said, hungrily eyeing my kabob.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, pulling a piece of meat off the kabob and handing it to him. His face lit up and he took the meat into his small hands, ravenously biting into it. I smiled at him, knowing he probably hadn¡¯t tasted meat in weeks, if not longer. I bit into the kabob, my mouth filling with the savory flavors.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I tried to steal from the meat stand once too, the cook always catches you at the last second,¡± he said as I ate. I finished off the kabob quickly, my hunger not letting me savor any of it. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around before, don¡¯t tell me you came to Kiso just for the kabobs,¡± Kyle said, grinning.


    ¡°No, I came here looking for someone.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Who are you looking for? I grew up on these streets, I know them better than any of the other street kids.¡± I blinked at this. Street kids? Rune had a couple of homeless people, but never very many of them, and I had never seen a child among them.


    ¡°How many of you are there?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°Dozens, but there¡¯s only six in my little group. We stick together, find new places to sleep and gather food to share,¡± Kyle explained.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, still trying to wrap my mind around it all. There were dozens of homeless kids out here, living off of stolen bread?


    ¡°But I can tell you¡¯re not from the streets, where are you from?¡±


    ¡°I grew up in Rune, with my Mom and brother.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I¡¯ve heard everyone in Rune is rich and the streets are lined with gold. Is that true? I¡¯ve always wanted to visit there,¡± Kyle said, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. I laughed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that, Kyle. There¡¯s far less homeless people there, though.¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you know anything about that thief? The one who stole the Elementorium?¡± I stared at him for a moment. He was just a kid, and he was the first person I had had a real conversation with since I left Rune. Slowly I pulled on the chain around my neck, bringing the Elementorium out from behind my shirt. Kyle¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°You mean this?¡± I asked, grinning.


    ¡°Woah¡­ miss, you¡¯re like a legend here. All the street kids heard about what you did, we tell stories about you every night.¡±


    ¡°Tell stories? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well you inspired us, miss. Everyone always said we would amount to nothing, that we would be street rats forever. But when we heard about you, taking what you wanted and making a new life for yourself, it gave all of us hope.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really made a new life for myself, though. I¡¯ve got to steal food just to stay alive, and I would probably be captured by the guards right now if it weren¡¯t for you, Kyle,¡± I said, feeling awful. I didn¡¯t deserve the praise he was giving me. I stole what wasn¡¯t mine, from my own brother! I left my family behind, all for some power that I didn¡¯t even know how to use.


    ¡°Well you¡¯ve got to start somewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go find that person you¡¯re looking for,¡± Kyle said, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his tattered trousers. ¡°Who did you say you wanted to find?¡±


    ¡°Jayden Cortez, the new Uniflux bearer.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I haven¡¯t seen Jayden around in a while, but I know where his parents live. Come on, I¡¯ll take you there!¡± Kyle took off through the streets, leading me through dozens of houses and businesses before we finally stopped in front of an average-looking house.


    ¡°This is the place; his parents live here. Good luck,¡± he said to me with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to come with me?¡±


    ¡°The Cortez¡¯s don¡¯t like us street kids hanging around their place,¡± Kyle replied. Hmm. Did I really want help from people who shut out homeless kids on the street?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jayden was always really nice to us. He used to go to the park a few blocks down to read, and he would always bring snacks for us,¡± Kyle said, seeing the worried expression on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should be doing this anymore,¡± I said aloud, looking warily at the house. What if they just kicked me out? What if they realized I had the Elementorium and reported it to the guards?


    ¡°Of course you should be! Jayden is gonna help you for sure, miss,¡± Kyle said cheerily, giving me a little push toward the house.


    ¡°Oh, fine. Thanks for all your help, Kyle. I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done without you,¡± I said, giving him a smile.


    ¡°Hey, miss? Will you meet me at the park later? My friends would really like to meet you.¡± He pointed further down the road in the opposite direction of the marketplace. I nodded to him. Kyle grinned and dashed off, waving goodbye as he did. I took a deep breath and walked toward the Cortez¡¯s front door.

 Chapter Ten

    I timidly knocked on the door, hoping I had knocked loud enough to be heard at all. After a few seconds the door swung open, and a middle-aged woman with brown hair eyed me suspiciously.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. Straight to the point, then. What do I say? That I¡¯m the person who stole the Elementorium, so I¡¯m looking for her son in the hope that he won¡¯t turn me in?


    ¡°I¡¯m Claire, the bearer of the Elementorium,¡± I said, smiling.


    ¡°Oh, I thought they said the new bearer was a man.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m definitely not a man.¡± Smooth, Claire. ¡°I was just looking for Jayden, I hoped he might be able to help me track down the thief who took the Elementorium.¡± Lying was not my forte, but I think I was believable enough. I had been stealing my lunches for the past week; lying should come fairly easily after that.


    Mrs. Cortez¡¯s expression changed immediately; softening and making room for a slight smile, even. ¡°Jayden isn¡¯t here, he moved to Arden over a year ago. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll help you, though, bless his soul.¡± Wow, quite the change.


    ¡°Do you have his address in Arden, Mrs. Cortez?¡± I asked sweetly.


    ¡°Of course. Please, come inside, I¡¯ve just made a hot pot of tea.¡± I followed her inside, where she seated me at a nicely furnished front room. The outside of the house had been rather plain, but the inside was lavishly furnished with new-looking furniture. One of the perks of being a bearer, I suppose. The Rein council paid you handsomely, in addition to donations from the rich and famous from various cities. Jackson was probably raking in the cash back at home, even without the Elementorium.


    Mrs. Cortez returned to the front room with a silver teapot and tiny silver teacups. I idly wondered how much money Jayden made, and how much he sent back to his parents.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as she poured a cup of tea for me. ¡°You have a lovely home, Mrs. Cortez.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, call me Lila, dear.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me saying, your house looked so ordinary from the outside, I didn¡¯t expect it to be quite so¡­ rich inside.¡± Lila flushed, smiling to cover her embarrassment.


    ¡°Jayden is very generous with sharing his bearer settlements. We have plans to renovate the outside of the house soon,¡± She added. I looked down into my teacup, pondering the transparent brown liquid. I had never had tea before, it was a luxury my family couldn¡¯t afford. I took a sip from the silver cup, immediately wanting to spit the drink back into the cup. It was so bitter! How do people drink that stuff?


    ¡°Have you lived here for very long?¡± I asked, still choking down my sip of tea.


    ¡°We moved here when I was pregnant with Jayden. We only ever wanted one child, and wanted to give him the best opportunities we could.¡±


    ¡°Why move here instead of Rune? He would have had a chance at the Elementorium there, a chance he had some control over.¡±


    ¡°Well, Jayden would have been three years too old, and we didn¡¯t want the break the law of course,¡± she replied dismissively. Great, a thief in the house of the most perfect family in all of Kiso. I suddenly felt the burning need to get away from the house and Mrs. Perfect Lila Cortez.


    ¡°Thank you for the tea, Lila, but I really should be going now. I have plans for tonight.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Oh, of course!¡± Lila pulled out a pen and paper from the drawer of the stand next to her, scribbling on it before handing it to me. ¡°That¡¯s Jayden¡¯s address in Arden. I hope he can help you find that rotten thief,¡± she said as I hustled out the door. Yes, I get it, you don¡¯t like people who break the law.


    I took a deep breath once I was outside, feeling as though it was the first time I could breathe freely in the past hour. I made my way to the park Kyle had pointed out earlier, happy to have the distraction from Mrs. Perfect and her house. It was hard to believe there were people living with so much money, while kids were starving on the streets.


    The park was a refreshing sight buried amongst the houses that were nearly copies of each other. There were several planted trees and bushes, blooming with lots of colorful flowers. I saw Kyle sitting behind a bench, pulling up grass and twisting it between his hands.


    ¡°There you are!¡± He exclaimed when he saw me, jumping up to hug me. ¡°So, how did it go? Did you find Jayden?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no, he¡¯s apparently moved to Arden. She gave me his address, though. I¡¯ll probably head out tonight,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh, we know a carriage that makes trips to Arden every other day. It should leave at sunset tonight.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± I looked around. We were alone in the park, other than a young couple who were walking the trail that twisted through the greenery.


    ¡°The gang and I. They wanted to meet you, remember?¡± Kyle lifted his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly, startling the couple. Five young kids seemed to materialize out of trees and from behind bushes, walking cautiously toward us. There were two boys who looked to the roughly the same age as Kyle, a girl who looked like she might be fifteen, and a young girl and boy who looked like twins, no more than eight years old.


    ¡°Guys, this is the girl I was telling you about, the thief,¡± Kyle said to the group, stressing the word thief. The kids¡¯ eyes lit up, even the fifteen-year-old. The twin girl¡¯s face split into an enormous smile, and she ran to me, hugging my waist.


    ¡°Oh miss, I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡±


    ¡°Julie, stop it. She hasn¡¯t even told us her name,¡± the fifteen-year-old said, folding her arms over her chest. I started to say my name, but Kyle interrupted before I had a chance to speak.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to tell us her name, Heather. What if the officials come asking questions? We can¡¯t know who she is, or she might get caught.¡± Huh, smart kid. I hadn¡¯t even thought about that, I just wanted this group of homeless kids to trust me. Julie clung tighter to me and Heather looked away, while the other three seemed to be in shock.


    ¡°Can we see it, miss?¡± one of the boys Kyle¡¯s age asked. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw the couple walk behind a tree, hiding us from their sight. I smiled at the kids and crouched down, pulling Julie off of me. Slowly I tugged the Elementorium out from under my shirt, cupping the circular charm in my hands. It had a silver color, with intricate swirls that wrapped around four tiny gemstones. There was a red diamond shaped stone, a green square stone, a teardrop blue stone, and finally a circular clear stone. The kids gaped in awe, and Heather even leaned in to see the Elementorium a bit closer. I saw the couple step out from behind the tree, and quickly slipped the necklace back to its hiding place under my shirt.


    ¡°We should get going, it¡¯s going to be sunset soon,¡± Kyle said to me. I looked up and saw the sun touching the treetops. Suddenly I felt an attachment to these kids¡ªI didn¡¯t want to leave them. They were the first people I had been honest with since I ran away from home, and it felt good to be around them. I felt tears threaten to fill my eyes, forcing me to quickly close my eyes, pushing the tears away. Without warning, the sky started to rain, falling softly onto us.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± I said. Kyle led me through the city, stopping in the marketplace. It was quiet now, with only a few stands still open. Outside of one shop, a middle-aged man was loading crates into a horse-drawn cart with a large lantern fastened to the front.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Kyle said, pointing at the cart. We waited until he loaded the last crate and went inside the shop. ¡°Get in, and be sure to stay quiet,¡± the young boy cautioned me as I climbed into the back of the carriage. There was just enough space behind the crates for me to sit, and for once I was glad that I was as small as I am.


    ¡°Thank you, Kyle. For everything.¡±


    ¡°No miss, thank you. We¡¯ll see you next time you¡¯re in Kiso!¡± he whispered with a grin. The shopkeeper came outside again, turning to lock up the shop. When I looked back to where Kyle was, he was already gone. A moment later we were moving, the cart traveling down the marketplace road. As we drove away, I caught sight of Kyle waving to me from one of the stands. I waved back, smiling. It had felt good to talk to someone I could be honest with, even if he was a homeless twelve-year-old.

 Chapter Eleven

    Seraphine


    We pulled into Rein¡¯s capitol city, Arden, just as the sun was rising over the trees. I had read about other cities, of course, but had never traveled anywhere. The small, cruel village of Marxus was the only place I had ever known, and I¡¯m responsible for destroying it. The Tamani had fed off of the power I released when Maya sealed my powers, giving it the strength to break free of its prison. Michael and I saw the broken prison when we went for a ride in the forest the day before the festival. He thought the ride would help clear my head, but my mind was already made up by then. That day I asked him to take my life, because he was the only person I knew who would truly care about my death. Yet here I was, the morning after the night I was supposed to die, in the carriage of Rein¡¯s richest bachelor. My whole village was killed instead of me, which hardly seemed like a fair trade.


    ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Jayden asked. He was awake now, and seemed much more talkative now that he had gotten some sleep. I hadn¡¯t slept at all on the ride here.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have pennies anymore,¡± I replied. He smiled and laughed under his breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s an expression, Seraphine.¡±


    After a long pause, I finally said, ¡°I should have died last night.¡± Jayden sighed.


    ¡°A lot of people died last night, Seraphine. If you were meant to be dead, you would be among them.¡±


    ¡°A scholar that believes in fate, how intriguing,¡± I said, managing a small smile.


    ¡°Perhaps you needed to live on, for your brother, and for me.¡± I looked up when he said this, meeting his eyes. I needed to live for his sake? I don¡¯t think so, we barely knew each other. In fact, he had practically kidnapped me. ¡°I just mean so that you can help me understand these powers we¡¯ve been given,¡± he said quickly, obviously seeing the shocked expression on my face.


    ¡°You think I can tell you something that your books haven¡¯t? I can¡¯t even control this power, Jayden.¡±


    ¡°Seraphine, I¡¯ve been the bearer of the Uniflux for three years now. I didn¡¯t know how to control or use my powers when I first got them, either,¡± Jayden said, obviously trying to cheer me up.


    ¡°Well your power doesn¡¯t kill people, Jayden. You didn¡¯t just murder everyone you¡¯ve ever known and not even remember it.¡± What was I going to do? Michael was alive, but was anyone else? Did my mom and dad get killed? Was I the one that took their lives? Not to mention all the guests, who I didn¡¯t even know. They all had families, lives to get back to. None of them deserved to die. ¡°Who am I to decide who lives and dies,¡± I mumbled aloud, not realizing I was speaking until it was too late.


    ¡°Nothing is going to make last night go away, Seraphine,¡± Jayden said as the carriage slowed to a stop outside of a large house at the end of the street. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that you can¡¯t try to make up for it by doing some good in this world, or by helping others understand how our powers really work.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, Sir,¡± Joe called from the front of the carriage. I ignored him. I barely even knew Jayden, and here we were at his fancy house in Rein¡¯s capitol city. He thought I could help people, and that I could give him information.


    ¡°So my kidnapper needs my help,¡± I said angrily, glaring at Jayden through my eyelashes. He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his dark brown hair.


    ¡°Seraphine, I brought you here because you were lying unconscious in the middle of over a hundred dead bodies, some of which you killed. Your brother asked me to take care of you. If you think I kidnapped you, then you¡¯re wrong. You can leave this carriage right now and never see me again if you want to, or you can come inside and maybe find a way to help future generations with these powers we¡¯ve got.¡±


    Future generations? Sure, there would be new Elementorium and Uniflux bearers, but Elysium was passed down genetically. Every member of our family lived in Marxus, and they were all slaughtered last night. It was just Michael and I left to carry down the genes. Maybe it would be better if I just stopped it all now, killed myself when there was no chance of a new bearer being born.


    ¡°Well, are you coming or not?¡± Jayden asked, standing outside the carriage door with his hand extended to me. I could see the outline of the Uniflux under his skin, which I studied for a moment. I hadn¡¯t had the chance to really look at it before, it looked like two teardrops intertwined with a stem running down the middle, the pointed ends of the shapes pointing to his palm and up his arm. I had read that the Uniflux picks the host with the most compatible genes, whatever that meant. It would bury itself under the skin of the nearest suitable host, which is why it has two razor-sharp pointed ends. However, the material that Usarium was smelted into gives off a toxin that¡¯s poisonous when it¡¯s entered the bloodstream. Every Uniflux bearer is constantly poisoned and healed by the metal under their skin. Once a bearer is chosen by the Uniflux, they have it for the rest of their lives. It is possible to surgically remove it, but the moment the charm is removed from their body, the poison would spread and kill the host. I suppose Jayden was stuck with his powers against his will, just like I was.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I took his hand, feeling a strange electricity as our hands met. The mark of Elysium seemed to burn, and an angry burn appeared on Jayden¡¯s wrist where the Uniflux was resting. Jayden winced in pain, but the strange reaction was gone as quickly as it had appeared. I could understand the power of the moons having some sort of reaction when they came in contact, but why didn¡¯t it happen before? Your powers were sealed before, I realized.


    ¡°That was a strange reaction,¡± Jayden said as he helped me out of the carriage. Our hands were still touching, but there wasn¡¯t anything happening with the Uniflux or my mark. Strange, indeed.


    ¡°Does that thing burn you very often?¡± I asked, watching the burn fade to a pink splotch on his wrist.


    ¡°Only when I tap into its powers, though it did have a similar reaction last night when you were¡­¡±


    ¡°Out of control?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. It seemed like Elysium had taken you over, and she called me Usarium when she saw me. Damn thing burned its way up to my neck¡ªtrying to get close to you, I think.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we do have some things to learn about after all,¡± I replied as we approached the house. Most houses on Rein were built out of wood because of the expansive forests, but Jayden¡¯s house was a mosaic of stone and brick, with dark wood trim. That much stone must have cost him a fortune; it was a very expensive building material. The stone extended up to the tall roof, which was trimmed with dark wood and sported dark shingles. The interior of the house was just as impressive; the walls were painted a calm blue with the same dark wood trim running throughout the house.


    ¡°This place is like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± I said breathlessly.


    ¡°Do you like it? I had it fashioned after an old Earth Victorian home. I became infatuated with Victorian architecture as an adolescent, so once I had the money for a new house I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± I followed Jayden down a hallway, our footsteps echoing on the dark wood floors. He opened the door to a massive library, its walls lined with books save for the spaces where two large windows let in the early morning light.


    ¡°I did warn you about the books,¡± Jayden said, amused by my amazement. He took off his jacket and slung it over one of the chairs assembled around the large table in the center of the room. I watched as Jayden casually strolled to a section of books and plucked several of them from the shelf, returning to the table with a stack.


    ¡°I figured we could start with the reaction we felt when we touched, so I¡¯ve gathered everything I have on the connection between Usarium and Elysium¡­¡± His voice trailed off as he studied me. I was still in awe, looking around the room at the massive amount of books and dusty sculptures.


    ¡°Seraphine?¡± Jayden said, pulling me back to reality.


    ¡°Sorry, Jayden. Got a little lost there,¡± I said, still slightly drifting. He must get paid a fortune by the Rein council to be able to afford all of this.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. So, as I was saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jayden, this is really a lot to take in right now. I haven¡¯t eaten or gotten a good night¡¯s sleep in days, and with everything that¡¯s happened in the past day, I think I just need some time to myself to rest,¡± I said, interrupting him before he could pull me into his world of books. I couldn¡¯t read or think about my powers right now, I just couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jayden said, standing up. I followed him out of the library and down the hallway, passing three more doors before we stopped. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of spare bedrooms, so you can choose whichever one you like, but I thought you might like this one.¡± He opened the door to reveal an enormous bedroom, furnished with plum-colored bedsheets, cushioned chairs, and a rug, along with the deep brown wood making an appearance in the bed frame, dresser, floorboards, and wall trim. The walls themselves were painted a pure white, which stood out among all the dark furnishings. However, the most stunning part of the room was the enormous window that covered nearly the entire wall across from the door, looking out into the green forest.


    ¡°Just how much money do you have?¡± I asked, running my hand over the soft bed cover.


    Jayden laughed shyly saying, ¡°I have more money than I ever wanted.¡± This room felt homey and welcoming, and it was the only place on the planet that I wanted to be right now. I looked up at him, unable to hide my smile. ¡°Did you want me to bring you some food? You said you haven¡¯t eaten in days,¡± Jayden offered, his brow furrowing. It wasn¡¯t that I hadn¡¯t been eating, the problem was that I couldn¡¯t eat. I didn¡¯t feel hungry¡ªI haven¡¯t since Hector and Ty¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Jayden. You¡¯ve done more than enough,¡± I replied, cutting off my thoughts.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll leave you, then. You know where to find me, Seraphine,¡± he said, starting to walk out of the room.


    ¡°Please, call me Sera,¡± I asked him as he closed the door behind him.

 Chapter Twelve

    Jayden


    I fell back against the hallway wall, desperately trying to calm my thoughts. Images of Seraphine¡ªSera smiling at me burned through my mind. It was a real smile, one that I had given her, and my soul lit up at the memory. If I had this reaction just to her smile, what would I do when she laughed? You¡¯ll be completely useless, that¡¯s what, my mind teased me. I had only ever felt like this once before, when I was twenty. A girl I met in the park, who would smile at me as she walked by the bench where I would sit to read. I was so distracted by her that I never read the books I brought to the park, I just thought of her and waited for her to smile at me again. I never saw her again after I became the Uniflux bearer.


    My mind traveled back to when Sera and I had first met, when I saw the pain in her eyes. Suddenly I had a desperate need to free her from that pain, which was probably worse after last night¡¯s events. I smacked my forehead with my hand, bringing my thoughts back into focus. You can¡¯t have a crush on her, I told myself, she¡¯s a depressed, suicidal murderer. But she was also breathtakingly beautiful. Damn it.


    ¡°Sir?¡± Joe was standing at the entrance to the hallway, his head cocked as he looked at me in confusion.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just¡­ showing Seraphine to a room.¡± Sera, my mind reminded me. I followed Joe into the main sitting room, running through scenarios that could have contributed to Sera¡¯s troubled past.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve sent the horses we brought from Marxus to the city barracks, where I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be put to work. Did you want me to bring the news of the Tamani to the council?¡±


    ¡°Please, if you could,¡± I replied. ¡°Don¡¯t mention Seraphine, just let them know the Tamani attacked the village. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll send a team down there to investigate, which should give us some time to formulate a story.¡±


    ¡°A story, sir?¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t exactly tell them that she killed the fox and all the surviving guests, now can we? They would send assassins after her, or have her imprisoned.¡± Joe raised an eyebrow at me. It wasn¡¯t like me to grow attached to someone this quickly, and he knew it. I hadn¡¯t made any friends since I moved to Arden¡ªI rarely even left the house.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± he said finally, grinning.


    ¡°Oh, just go.¡± Honestly, was it that obvious? Probably. Joe left without another word, and I retreated to the library. I tried to focus on my books, reading about the balance and distance of the moons when they were in orbit, but all I could think about was Seraphine. What happened to her that was haunting her, even before the night of the festival? And why were her powers sealed in the first place?


    I tracked down a book solely on the Marx family and Elysium, scouring its pages for anything useful. From what I had always read, the Elysium bearer¡¯s powers remained dormant until they were physically and psychologically mature enough to control the powers. She only would have needed her powers sealed if they had started unlocking when she wasn¡¯t ready. Elysium bearer¡¯s powers will consume the vessel if they are unlocked too soon, so biologically they don¡¯t unlock until the bearer is ready or there is a traumatizing event in which the bearer needs his or in this case, hers. So, what triggered her powers to unlock early?


    I made a list of what traumatizing events could have happened to her, ranging from abuse to witnessing the death of a loved one, but none of them felt quite right. Maybe it was more than one event, I thought, realizing that¡¯s probably what it was; a smaller traumatizing event compounded for many years in addition to a larger event. I picked up my pencil again and started cross referencing minor and major events¡­ but after a couple minutes stopped myself. There were thousands of possible combinations, and any one of them was just as plausible as the next. I was never going to know what happened to her unless she told me.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Going back to my original research, I scanned a book and a half for information before giving up. I couldn¡¯t get Sera out of my mind, and wouldn¡¯t be able to until my curiosity was sated. The Uniflux pulsed in my wrist, reacting to my thoughts before I had even realized them. But how do I know when she¡¯s going to wake up? I wondered. To speed up time, I had to focus on a specific time, but without a point to focus on I could easily get the timing wrong.


    Perhaps¡­ I closed my eyes and focused on my emotions, my curiosity, and my desire for her. The Uniflux buzzed, burning my skin as I felt time pass quickly. Just a bit longer, I thought, my eyes still closed. In the whirlwind that was the time around me, I heard someone calling for me. I opened my eyes early, releasing my hold on time.


    ¡°Sir, are you with me?¡± Joe asked, hunched over the table.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± I demanded, unsuccessfully hiding the anger in my voice. He knew better than to disturb me while I was bending time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, you have a visitor.¡±


    ¡°A visitor. You disturbed me for a visitor? Just tell them to leave.¡± I closed my eyes again, but Joe put his hand on my shoulder, keeping me from tapping into the Uniflux¡¯s power.


    ¡°She¡¯s traveled a long way, and says it¡¯s very important, Sir.¡± I sighed and stood up, walking to the front door. I opened it to find a young blonde girl, no older than nineteen, with enormous brown eyes.


    ¡°This had better be important,¡± I growled at her. She smirked and tugged on the chain around her neck.


    ¡°I think this is my ticket inside,¡± She said, pulling the Elementorium out from under her shirt. My eyes widened and I grabbed her by the shoulder, pushing her into the house. I poked my head out the door, looking around to see if anyone was nearby. Luckily, the street was empty and quiet, as usual. That was one of the reasons I had picked this location. I closed the door behind me and turned around, only to find the girl roaming my sitting room, trailing her hands over the rather expensive couches.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t earn that necklace,¡± I said to her, breaking her thoughtful wander.


    ¡°Straight to the point, I see. I almost earned it, and probably would have if they hadn¡¯t kicked me out,¡± she started, then stopped when she saw my expression. I was not in the mood to entertain young teenage guests. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the one who stole it. Name¡¯s Claire, by the way. Since you didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°So, what brings a thief to my house?¡±


    ¡°Well, from the looks of it you should have thieves here practically every night¡­¡± she trailed off again as she met my eyes. ¡°I was hoping you could help me, but you¡¯re clearly not in the mood to help anyone.¡± I sighed, my propriety not allowing me to be callous to her any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just a bit¡­ busy. Do you want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more what I was expecting from you, Jayden,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Your mother offered me a drink before I was even through the door.¡± Anger and suspicion flared in me at her words.


    ¡°What were you doing at my parent¡¯s house?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Oh calm down, I was just looking for you. Your parents are fine, and I swear I didn¡¯t steal anything.¡± I felt my heart rate increase as I heard a quiet footstep in the hallway. Turning, I saw Sera, wearing her dress from last night and looking like she had just run her fingers through a bad case of bedhead.


    ¡°Jayden, what¡¯s going on out here?¡± Sera asked, sounding tired. How much time had passed since she had gone to bed? I wasn¡¯t sure, but it seemed to be sometime in the early afternoon judging by the sunlight coming in through the windows.


    ¡°Black hair, teal eyes, salty disposition,¡± Claire listed, studying Sera. ¡°You must be the Elysium bearer, I¡¯m Claire. You didn¡¯t tell me the whole gang was here,¡± she said cheerily, turning back to me. Wonderful. Not only was I harboring a murderer in my house, I now had a cheerful thief calling us a gang.

 Chapter Thirteen

    I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to gather my thoughts, which was rather difficult now that Seraphine was here to distract me. I desperately wanted to talk to her about how her powers got sealed, but I had to deal with Claire first.


    ¡°Ladies, let¡¯s have a seat,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Joe, I¡¯m going to talk to them alone. Could you go out and get these two something to wear, please?¡± Joe was usually the one who went with me to buy groceries and clothes, so he was no stranger to this. He looked reluctant though, eyeing Claire and Sera suspiciously.


    ¡°Honestly, if an assassin comes in while you¡¯re gone I think he¡¯s the one in for a surprise, Joe.¡± I would hate to be that assassin. Joe nodded and headed outside. ¡°Ok, we should have about an hour before he gets back. Who wants to start?¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Claire chirped, practically bouncing in her seat. What she was so excited about, I had no idea. ¡°My name is Claire, I¡¯m eighteen years old, and I stole the Elementorium from my brother the night he was awarded it after the Ceremony of Elements.¡± Ok that wasn¡¯t exactly what I had in mind, but I guess it¡¯s as good as any place to start.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m Jayden, as you both know. Bearer of the Uniflux, and currently the only person in the house who isn¡¯t a criminal,¡± I said, immediately regretting adding the last part. Seraphine winced at my words, while Claire just rolled her eyes. Well done, Jayden.


    Seraphine sighed and crossed her arms before saying, ¡°I¡¯m Seraphine, I¡¯m the Elysium bearer. Last night I killed the Tamani along with dozens of innocent people because I can¡¯t control my powers. Happy now?¡± She glared first at me, then at Claire before settling on staring out the window. She was definitely not a morning person. I sighed. This wasn¡¯t going very well so far.


    ¡°Claire, you said you wanted my help. What do you need my help with, exactly?¡± I asked, turning my attention to the young blonde.


    ¡°Well I need your help clearing my name, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Clearing your name? You stole the Elementorium, the whole planet wants to see you behind bars, Claire.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but you don¡¯t understand! I did compete for the Elementorium. I made it through the first tests with flying colors, but they kicked me out because I was too young. I could have won it, fair and square.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just turn yourself in and hope your brother keeps you out of jail?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not turning myself in. I¡¯m supposed to be the bearer, I know it. I just need somewhere safe to stay so that I can clear my name,¡± she replied indignantly. I thought about this for a minute. Restricting the Elementorium bearer strictly by age didn¡¯t really make sense, and I didn¡¯t want another death on my hands if I turned her in.


    ¡°I suppose you can stay here for a few days, then. We can talk later about how to show everyone you¡¯re the right person for the job.¡± Claire beamed. ¡°Out of curiosity, will you shake my hand? There¡¯s something I need to see.¡± I extended my left hand out to her, revealing the Uniflux buried in my wrist. She eyed me suspiciously, but reached out and met my hand. Sure enough, the Uniflux in my wrist buzzed painfully, burning my skin.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Claire pulled away, studying the Elementorium at her chest, it had burned two small holes through her shirt, and left dark red marks on her skin underneath. It must not have triggered when I touched her shoulder earlier because I was touching her through her shirt. Interesting. ¡°Are you done burning me? I¡¯m starving,¡± she said, eyeing the kitchen.


    ¡°Help yourself,¡± I replied, happy to be rid of her for now. She bounded into the kitchen and I moved closer to Seraphine, who was still glaring out the window.


    ¡°Sera?¡± I reached out and rested my hand on her knee, and she seemed to melt at my touch. She sighed and turned to me, her eyes full of pain again. My heart twisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she just reminds me of Michael,¡± Sera explained.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t look anything like him,¡± I said, unable to stop myself. My curiosity was insatiable today.


    ¡°She acts like him, though. Probably a teenager thing.¡± She stared into the kitchen where Claire had apparently emptied the contents of the fridge onto the countertops.


    ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± I furrowed my brow. She said she hadn¡¯t eaten for days, but why? Had she not eaten since her powers were sealed? If so, was it the act of sealing her powers or the traumatic event that triggered the sealing that was causing her anorexia?


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the latter,¡± Seraphine¡¯s voice spoke in my mind. I looked up at her, startled.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What¡ª¡±


    ¡°A trick I¡¯ve been able to do since I was a kid,¡± she explained, smiling.


    ¡°You can read my thoughts?¡±


    ¡°And project my own into your mind. Just think what you want to say, I¡¯ll hear it.¡±


    ¡°Can you hear my thoughts all the time?¡±


    ¡°No, only when I focus on it,¡± she thought back to me. What a relief. Hopefully she wasn¡¯t listening earlier when¡ªI stopped myself.


    ¡°What was it that triggered your powers, Sera?¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give up until I tell you, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± It was several moments before her voice echoed in my mind again.


    ¡°My cousins, Hector and Ty. They always resented me for being born with this power, which their father always said was meant to be Hector¡¯s. They always picked on me as kids, but teasing eventually turned into violence. I fought back for a while, but once they hit puberty I was no match for them. Seraphine paused, the memories obviously hurting her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep going if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I thought to her.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. They would catch me on my way to and from the Sanctuary every day, beating me and abusing me. My parents never cared because I just healed everything right away anyway, but Michael cared. He started coming to my rescue, and once he was a little older he could stand up to them himself. He always told me to fight back, but I didn¡¯t see the point.¡±


    ¡°After years of enduring that abuse, I¡¯m not surprised you lost the will to fight.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. One day last week, I decided to heed his advice and try fighting back, but when I did it only made them angry. They pushed me down and¡­¡± Sera closed her eyes and her entire body tensed up.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± I thought to her. She was in so much pain, my heart was breaking for her. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and take her into my arms.


    ¡°I need to talk about it. It might help me get through it.¡± She paused for a while, her body still tense. Finally, her voice entered my mind again saying, ¡°they pushed me down and Ty kept watch while Hector raped me.¡± Holy shit. My head spun, strangely going back to my list I had made of possible triggers. I hadn¡¯t even considered that she might have been raped, let alone by her own cousin.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t all,¡± she thought to me. ¡°They tied me up so that I couldn¡¯t struggle, then left me there once they were done with me. I couldn¡¯t move or think¡­ I was just lying there for hours before Michael found me. He covered me up and took me home¡­¡± Sera¡¯s thoughts stopped echoing in my mind. I looked at her, and she looked up to meet my gaze. Her eyes were full of pain, and a sob escaped her lips as tears rolled down her cheeks. My heart twisted again and I reached out, wrapping her in my arms and holding her close to my chest.


    Everything made sense now. She went through so much; she was lucky her powers didn¡¯t unlock a long time ago. They sealed her powers because they thought she wasn¡¯t ready for them, which in her emotional state she probably wasn¡¯t. She was suicidal because she blamed herself for everything that had happened, which was only adding to her grief. When she broke the seal on her powers, she lost control because she wasn¡¯t ready for them. Elysium then channeled her years of being hated into pure anger, taking down anyone and everyone in her path. She only let me live because she recognized me as Usarium. When I knocked her out, she was probably unconsciously battling for control of her body, and woke up once she had won that battle.


    ¡°I hate myself,¡± she thought to me, still wrapped in my arms.


    ¡°None of it was your fault, Sera. You didn¡¯t have control over any of it.¡±


    ¡°I let Michael get wrapped up in all of it. I took away his chance of having a normal life, and made him go through more than any nineteen-year-old should ever have to.¡± I held her tighter, willing her to let it all go. This was probably the first time she had let her emotions out since it all happened, since the only person she had to talk to was the one person she wanted to protect most in the world.


    ¡°He¡¯s out there now, living his life,¡± I thought to her. I felt her take a deep breath, then exhale as her muscles relaxed a little. ¡°I am a scholar who believes in fate, Sera. I believe that even though we don¡¯t understand it, everything happens for a reason. If that isn¡¯t true, what else is there for us in this life? Your brother is out there now, alive and well, because the two of you have gone through so much. He learned everything he needed to know to take care of himself, including a spectacular sense of right and wrong. He¡¯s telling the world about the Tamani, so that families can sleep soundly at night. He wouldn¡¯t be there if it weren¡¯t for you, Sera.¡± She took a moment to process this before melting into my chest, her muscles relaxing.


    ¡°Thank you, Jayden.¡± I held her closer and she wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder. After a couple more minutes she pulled away, her eyes swollen from the tears but quickly healing. I wiped away a stray tear from her cheek, smiling at her.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± I said aloud. She smiled back¡ªa small, apologetic smile.


    ¡°Curiosity satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Curiosity satisfied,¡± I replied, laughing.


    ¡°Hey, you two!¡± Claire called from the dining room. She was arranging plates at the table, dishing some delicious-smelling food onto them. ¡°Lunch is ready,¡± She said with a grin.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Seraphine


    I didn¡¯t feel numb anymore, and my stomach was growling. Talking to Jayden had helped more than I thought it was going to, and it felt good to have someone I could talk to about everything that had happened.


    ¡°Hungry?¡± Jayden asked, smiling at me.


    ¡°Famished,¡± I said, smiling back at him. Whatever Claire had made for lunch smelled delicious, and I realized how hungry I really was. I hadn¡¯t eaten anything since the morning before Hector and Ty¡¯s assault, when I had eggs and toast with Michael. Suddenly I wished Michael could be here with me, my thoughts clouding my good mood.


    Jayden laced his fingers through mine and stood up, pulling me toward the dining room. My heart rate increased, surprised by his sudden display of affection. I had just told him I was abused and raped, he was probably just trying to comfort me. I had never had any friends, though, it was strange to be in physical contact with someone. Was that what we were? Friends? I wondered if I would become friends with Claire too.


    ¡°I made parmesan chicken over alfredo pasta,¡± Claire said proudly as we sat down at the table. Jayden squeezed my hand before releasing his hold on it to begin eating. I picked my fork up and popped a piece of chicken in my mouth, which immediately filled with flavors of cheese, meat, and spices. Damn, this girl could cook.


    ¡°You¡¯re left handed,¡± Jayden noted, cocking his head to one side.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied between mouthfuls of chicken. ¡°Is than an issue?¡±


    ¡°The Elysium bearer¡¯s genes are altered by the presence of Elysium¡¯s power in the system. We can see some alterations in the form of your pale skin, black hair and turquoise eyes, and perhaps your left handedness,¡± he explained. I stared at him, amused.


    ¡°Are you always going to be studying me?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± he replied, laughing apologetically. ¡°Sorry, Sera.¡± I laughed too, for the first time in what felt like weeks.


    ¡°Hey lovebirds, shut up and eat,¡± Claire said from the seat across from Jayden. Lovebirds? Where had she gotten that idea? Jayden¡¯s face flushed and he immersed himself in the task of eating his food. I glanced over at Claire, who had eaten over half of her food already. She looked to be almost as hungry as I was.


    ¡°This is really good, Claire. Where did you learn to cook?¡±


    ¡°My mom taught me,¡± Claire replied. ¡°Cooking was the only thing she did for a while after my dad died.¡± She stopped suddenly, looking as though she had said more than she was planning to.


    ¡°How long ago did your father die?¡± Jayden asked, his curiosity piqued.


    ¡°About five years ago, he fell down the stairs and broke his neck. The doctors said he died instantly.¡± She ate another forkful of pasta and chicken. ¡°He always was such a klutz, luckily he passed that trait down to my brother, not me.¡± We finished our lunch in silence after that, Claire and I clearing our plates quickly. As we gathered up our dishes, Joe walked through the front door with two shopping bags in hand.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the kitchen, Joe,¡± Jayden called, still finishing his pasta.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly to buy, so I just got a couple things, Sir,¡± Joe said as he came into the kitchen.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, they can go buy their own clothes once they¡¯ve gotten dressed in something less¡­ worn,¡± Jayden replied, eyeing Claire and I. I was still wearing my black dress from last night, which was torn in a couple places. Claire was wearing a dirty red t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts, with some laced tennis shoes.


    ¡°Ooh, let me see what you got!¡± she squealed, yanking the bags from Joe¡¯s hands. She reached into one bag and pulled out a black leather jacket, grey tank top, a pair of skin-tight denim pants, and two tall black boots.


    ¡°Those are for miss Phoenix,¡± Joe explained, looking rather embarrassed. I arched my eyebrow, looking at the black collection of clothes as Claire pushed them into my hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit dark and¡­ tight, don¡¯t you think?¡± I asked, smirking at Joe.


    ¡°You do know there are colors other than black, right?¡± Claire asked, pulling out a soft black dress from the other bag. I could see Joe flushing, even through his dark skin tone.


    Jayden stood up, saying, ¡°Joe, thank you, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll look lovely in them. There¡¯s a bit of leftover pasta on the stove, if you want it.¡± Jayden turned to us, eyeing my collection of black apparel. ¡°Ladies, there¡¯s a bathroom adjoining each bedroom. Feel free to take as long as you need.¡±


    ¡°Which way to the bedrooms?¡± Claire asked, clutching her dress. I shook my head, laughing to myself. This was all a bit ridiculous, really. Jayden was trying so hard to keep it together, but it was obvious he was stressed from everything that was happening. He had the three most powerful people on the planet in his home, including himself, and one of them was a snarky eighteen-year-old thief while the other was an emotionally unstable murderer. I started walking toward the plum bedroom, away from all the insanity.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go shower,¡± I called behind me, interrupting their debate about room colors.


    The plum room¡¯s bathroom was mostly white, as I¡¯m sure all of the bathrooms were. I had been in here before; my curiosity got the better of me when Jayden left me in the room earlier today. The bathroom had a medium-sized shower, a toilet, and a sink set in a large counter. It was about the size of the bathroom we had at my house in Marxus--which we had shared between the four of us. My heart stopped for a moment as a thought came to me; were Mom and Dad still alive? I had no idea, and I hadn¡¯t even thought about it until now.


    I stripped my dress off, feeling as though there was a layer of dirt on my skin. After turning on the shower, I glanced in the mirror. The mark of Elysium, traditionally an infinity symbol, had a thick black line around it while my powers were sealed. Now it seemed that the line had broken into an array of swirls and dots around the infinity symbol. Part of me wondered if my powers being sealed and unsealed had an effect on how much power I could tap into, or how much control I had over them. Something to talk to Jayden about, probably.


    The shower was hot and relaxing, exactly what I needed. I stayed in the hot water until the air was thick with steam, letting the water wash away everything that had happened in the past few days. I toweled off and wrapped the fluffy white fabric around me once I was done, then made my way to the plum room where my new outfit was waiting for me on the bed. It was rather assassin-esque, with every dark piece of clothing hugging my body. The black contrasted my pale complexion and brought out my eyes, though--I had always looked good in black.


    I rummaged through the drawers in the bathroom until I found a comb, which I promptly began to rake through my hair. Just as I was finishing up, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door to find Jayden, who took one look at me and flushed a crimson color. He¡¯s cute when he¡¯s being shy, I thought, smiling.

 Chapter Fifteen

    ¡°Uh, those clothes look good on you,¡± he stammered.


    ¡°Little tight for my tastes, but I suppose they¡¯ll do for now. I do like this jacket a lot,¡± I said, playing with the leather of my jacket. Jayden had showered and changed as well; his dark brown hair was damp and he had changed out of his suit into a comfortable looking t-shirt and jeans. He was barefoot, and I realized this was probably what he wore most days around the house.


    ¡°Oh, I had something I wanted to talk to you about,¡± I said, remembering the mark of Elysium. I led Jayden into the plum room to the tall standing mirror and pushed my hair out of the way so that we could see the mark on the nape of my neck. ¡°If I remember right, all Elysium bearers had the mark, but it was always just a simple infinity symbol. To seal my powers, Maya had to draw a line around the mark with a knife--which became a thick black line around it. I guess unlocking my powers once they were sealed broke the seal into the decorative outer ring.¡± Jayden lightly touched my neck, tracing his fingers around the mark.


    ¡°This is interesting, Sera. None of the previous bearers had any variation to their marks, other than where it was located on their body. It could have some connection to the limits of your power, and how you can control them,¡± he said, apparently fascinated by the mark on my neck. He ran his fingers along the dark lines, the fingernail on his index finger lightly running across my skin as he made his way back up my neck. I winced and pulled away immediately, images of Hector clawing at the mark filling my mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± he apologized, his outstretched hand trembling.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine... it just reminded me of something Hector did.¡± Jayden looked as though someone had just punched him in the gut.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Sera,¡± he said. His pained expression hurt me in some way, so I reached out and wrapped my arms around him. He reciprocated after a moment, holding me tightly for a couple seconds before we pulled away. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I loved how he seemed to melt a little when I smiled.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Claire exclaimed, bursting through the door. ¡°I was just letting you know I¡¯m going out, and that I need some money to go shopping.¡± She looked refreshed with her long blonde hair still wet, resting halfway down her back. Her black dress fell softly around her body, held up by two thin straps on her shoulder. I noted she wasn¡¯t wearing the Elementorium, which was instead clasped in her hand.


    ¡°You look nice,¡± I said to her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah well, I have no way to hide the Elementorium in this dress. I need to get some new clothes if I want to ever go out in public,¡± she replied. Beside me, Jayden had pulled out a wallet and was thumbing through the bills inside.


    ¡°Here, this should be enough. But don¡¯t go by yourself, I don¡¯t want you alone out there,¡± he said, handing her a bundle of bills. Her eyes got huge as she took the money, counting it twice.


    ¡°You just gave me a thousand dollars to spend on clothes.¡±


    ¡°Is it not enough?¡± Jayden asked as he opened his wallet again.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough, Jayden. I¡¯ll go with her, I need to get some clothes as well,¡± I said, smiling at Claire, who was still in shock from the amount of money in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t spend too much either.¡± I snatched the bills out of her hand and stuffed them in my pocket. Claire pouted.


    ¡°What do I do with the Elementorium though?¡± she asked.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Just leave it here, it¡¯s probably safest here anyway,¡± Jayden told her. She grudgingly handed the necklace over to him, which he promptly buried in his pocket.


    ¡°That had better be here when I get back,¡± Claire said, glaring at Jayden.


    ¡°What, you think I¡¯m going to steal it or something? I don¡¯t think you can steal something that¡¯s already stolen.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Claire. The worst Jayden is going to do with that thing is study it,¡± I said, dragging her out of the room by her arm.


    Joe had directed us to a nearby clothing store, which was only a ten minute walk away. The building was huge--lined with over a hundred racks of clothing, suited for any age and gender. Claire squealed as we walked through the glass doors and took off in the direction of the expansive collection of women¡¯s clothing, immediately plucking several clothes off of the racks. I followed her, my mind drifting to Jayden.


    I let the images flood my mind, once again feeling his embrace as I told him why my powers were sealed. Talking about it had been more painful than I had imagined it would be, and it felt like a storm was raging up inside me that threatened to swallow me whole. And then he was there, his arms wrapped around me, calming the storm brewing inside me.


    ¡°Hey, Sera!¡± Claire bounded toward me, nearly dropping a colorful shirt from the large pile of clothes in her arms. ¡°Daydreaming?¡± She asked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and looked away, suppressing the heat that was blossoming under my cheeks.


    ¡°Have you collected everything in the store yet?¡± I teased, looking back at her.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not standing around dreaming about Jayden,¡± she pouted, but I wasn¡¯t paying attention. The nearby store clerk who had greeted us when we came in was now nervously glancing between us and the door. Another clerk, who seemed to be  a manager of some sort, walked up to her and whispered something in her ear.


    I extended my consciousness to them, feeling the familiar surge of power begin to well up deep inside me. The young clerk¡¯s thoughts began to whisper in my mind, and suddenly the familiar power became ferocious, ravaging my veins and consuming my thoughts. Immediately I pulled away from her, afraid of the unfamiliar surge of power. What if I couldn¡¯t control it?


    ¡°Claire, I think we should go,¡± I said to her, my eyes still locked onto the clerk and her manager.


    ¡°Why? I have to at least try these on first,¡± she replied, oblivious to the strange behavior of the store employees.


    ¡°We can come back some other time, Claire,¡± I said, turning to her. She looked confused, still not paying attention to the rest of the room. ¡°That clerk has been acting strangely for the past few minutes. You¡¯re the most notorious thief on the planet right now, can you really afford to ignore strange behavior?¡± I whispered, glancing back to the clerk.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go,¡± Claire replied, exasperated. She hung the pile of clothes up on a nearby rack and quickly retreated to my side. I glanced back once more as I opened the door, watching the clerk¡¯s eyes grow large as Claire shrieked. I turned to see a pair of guards on either side of the door, one of them with Claire already in hand. Fear boiled up inside me, waking my powers. The air around me seemed to vibrate as my senses elevated, the heartbeats of Claire and the guards pounding in my mind. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to push my power back down.


    ¡°Sera, help!¡± Claire shouted, breaking my concentration. My eyes flew open and the second guard collapsed. Claire watched him fall in horror, her eyes moving from the guard to me. The guard restraining Claire tightened his grip on her, obviously thinking she was the one who attacked his partner.


    ¡°You bitch,¡± he snarled, glaring down at Claire. ¡°I¡¯m taking you into custody under suspicion of crimes against the city of Rune and the theft of the Elementorium.¡± He latched handcuffs around Claire¡¯s wrists as more guards collapsed around me, pulling me away from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Claire,¡± I said to her, my heart breaking as a tear rolled down her cheek. It was too late now, there was nothing I could do for her without taking the lives of every guard on the street.


    Anger and frustration flared up in me, telling me to do whatever was necessary to save Claire from capture. I closed my eyes and turned away from Claire¡¯s terrified expression as she disappeared behind a swarm of guards.


    ¡°Take that one in too, probably one of her thief friends,¡± one of the guards said. Shaking with anger and the effort required to suppress Elysium¡¯s power, I felt the cold metal of handcuffs being locked around my wrist as I was led out into the street.

 Chapter Sixteen

    Jayden


    I looked up from my notes to look at the Elementorium once again. It was distracting, despite being an invaluable research tool. The trinket seemed to have a strange draw to it; I could see why Claire thought she was its rightful owner. Though I hadn¡¯t given in to my curiosity and tested its powers, it was apparent that the longer you had it with you, the more attached you would become to it. I had done little more than carry it to the library and set it down, and yet it seemed to whisper at the corners of my mind, tempting me to keep it as my own.


    Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I gazed out the library window into the green forest. The library was right next to the plum themed room Seraphine was staying in, and they shared a similar view of the nearby forest. I idly wondered what Sera thought of her new room, and remembered the smile she had when I first led her to the room. Surely she was satisfied with it? Some part of my mind conjured up an image of her in my navy blue themed room, staring out the window into the darkness¡­


    At that moment I broke from my drifting thoughts with the realization that the last ray of sunlight had long since disappeared through the trees, and the only light left outside was the light coming from my house. My senses returning from their distracted daydreams, I could hear Joe fumbling in the kitchen--likely making dinner.


    I stood and walked down the hallway into the main living space, taking the Elementorium with me after a moment¡¯s hesitation. The clock on the wall read that it was now evening time, several hours since Sera and Claire had headed into town to buy new clothes.


    ¡°Joe, how long have they been gone?¡± I asked, walking into the kitchen.


    ¡°Hm? Oh,¡± Joe looked up at the kitchen clock and quickly replied; ¡°about four hours now, I believe.¡± He was quite used to keeping track of time for me--I often shut myself in the library for hours on end, quickly forgetting time altogether.


    ¡°Is it¡­ normal for women to shop for so long?¡±


    Joe chuckled, not looking up from the vegetables he was cutting. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d say so. I did think they would be back by now though, with Miss Seraphine in charge,¡± he said, adding the last part with a bit of hesitation.


    Fear prickled in my chest, and my mind began to race. It did seem unlikely that Seraphine would allow Claire to stay out so long, and doubtful that Claire would be comfortable away from the Elementorium any longer than necessary. Perhaps they ran into trouble, or were apprehended? Claire was being searched for by every guard on the continent, after all, even if they didn¡¯t have leads on who she was or what she looked like. It was unlikely that the Rein council already knew about what had happened in Marxus, but if they did then there was no telling what kind of trouble Seraphine had gotten herself into. Though she could probably find her way out of such trouble, the chances that her powers would take over like they had last night were high. I didn¡¯t want her to suffer any more, especially due to lack of control. Not if I could help it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to find them,¡± I said, finally emerging from my thoughts. I turned on my heel and walked out of the kitchen, ignoring Joe¡¯s flustered protests. Walking smoothly down the hallway opposite the library hall, I turned left at the first door and was welcomed by the familiar sight of my room.


    Though I spent more time in the library, this room was my solace. When I found myself more distracted than I could bear, this was where I needed to be to clear my head. Tonight, though, the calm blue walls did nothing for my swirling thoughts. I slipped into a pair of socks followed by two black leather shoes. Pulling on a light jacket, I stepped back into the hallway to find Joe waiting for me.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Ready, sir?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go with me, Joe, I¡¯ll be alright. I¡¯m sure they just got caught up at the store,¡± I said, half to Joe and half to myself.


    ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯m sworn to protect you at all times. I¡¯ll be of much more use to you helping to find Miss Seraphine and Miss Claire than I will be staying here and chopping carrots, Sir.¡± He added the last part with a little smirk on his face. I grinned and shook my head in defeat before leading my faithful companion out the front door.


    We walked for several minutes in silence before coming across a city guard. He nodded to me politely, no doubt acutely aware of my status as the Uniflux bearer. I was tempted to immediately question him about Claire and Sera, but stayed my tongue. No need to jump to conclusions until we had confirmed they weren¡¯t at the store.


    As we turned the corner and the clothes store Sera and Claire had gone to came into view, it was immediately apparent that they weren¡¯t there. An employee, most likely the manager, was locking up the building from the outside.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, startling the man.


    ¡°Oh! I-I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re closed for the day,¡± He stammered. He was smaller than I first thought, and seemed to be shaking a bit. I wondered if Sera had done thing to scare him while she was here.


    ¡°I was just wondering if you remembered two women visiting your store today. One was about this tall,¡± I raised my hand to just above my shoulder height, ¡°with black hair. She would¡¯ve been with a younger girl with blonde hair.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re with those two?¡± He sounded genuinely shocked and a bit terrified, fumbling his keys as the store¡¯s lock chunked into place. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to go,¡± He said quickly, bumping into me as he passed. I felt Joe tense beside me, but moved before he had a chance.


    I grasped the shaking man¡¯s arm with my left hand, the outline of the Uniflux peeking out from under my jacket sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to tell me what happened to them before you can leave,¡± I said, tightening my grip on his arm. I wasn¡¯t particularly strong for a male of my age, but I was still conscious of the fact that my grip might have been hurting the man a little. I didn¡¯t care. If he knew where Sera and Claire were, he was going to tell us.


    The man¡¯s pale eyes shifted from me to Joe, then to the hand wrapped around his arm. His eyes widened, and he attempted to pull away from me, stuttering, ¡°You¡¯re him? Mr. Cortez? T-That¡¯s the¡­¡± His voice trailed off, clearly terrified of the charm in my wrist. I was growing impatient. The Uniflux glowed lightly, sensing my desire to hurt the man I was holding if he didn¡¯t tell us what we needed to know.


    ¡°Please tell us where those women went after leaving your store,¡± Joe interjected, before I could interrogate the man more. The man in my grasp trembled more, taking one more look at my wrist before finally answering.


    ¡°T-The blonde girl matched a description for the thief in Rune, s-so I sent word to the city guard and they arrested both of them.¡± Rage filled me in a way I had never felt before. Claire and Seraphine had been under my care for less than a day, and were arrested already? I exhaled and released my grip on the man, who fell to the ground in terror. At least there were no bodies nearby, which meant Seraphine hadn¡¯t used her powers to kill everyone in range.


    ¡°Joe, let¡¯s go,¡± I said, turning away from the frightened man.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that the council will be in session at this hour, sir,¡± Joe protested, following close behind me.


    ¡°Someone will be there, guarding those two.¡± I stormed down the vaguely familiar streets, wishing I could make myself simply appear at City Hall. I felt the Uniflux burn under my skin, but it didn¡¯t fulfill my wishes.

 Chapter Seventeen

    We eventually arrived at City Hall, accompanied by a couple city guards who we had hastily explained our situation to along the way. We left out the part about how the girls we were looking for were rightfully locked up, of course. It wouldn¡¯t have been much of a rescue mission if we had condemned before even arriving at City Hall.


    The guard standing at the entrance to the great stone building was alarmed by our presence at first, but straightened up when he saw the guards with us. Night had fallen some time ago, so I¡¯m sure my illuminated skin didn¡¯t help ease his mind either. A nagging frustration and sense of urgency seemed to be reflected in the constant dull burning of the Uniflux in my wrist, which seemed to be becoming more restless the longer it took for us to find Sera and Claire.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to negotiate the release of two prisoners,¡± I said in a clear voice as we approached the front door. The guard at the door looked for confirmation from his fellow guards, who both nodded. Joe remained silent behind me.


    The guard showed us inside, moving quickly into the first hallway to our right. The oil lights flickered on the polished stone walls, reminding me of my recognition ceremony after I was selected to be the Uniflux bearer. It had been a short, formal ceremony, with the Rein council saying about three obviously prepared sentences to me, while my mother was in a fit of tearful joy in the corner. It had been more remarkable once I stepped outside and found half the city of Arden there to congratulate me.


    Several turns down corridors finally led us into an open room, where two men were working at desks. One was working studiously, comparing notes and working through a pile of disheveled paperwork. The other was closer to the entrance, and seemed to be somewhere between balancing his pencils on his fingertips and falling asleep on his desk. When we entered the room, the man closest to us jolted upright, standing to attention before realizing that it was just his fellow guards escorting two visitors.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± The second man asked, looking annoyed about the distraction from his work. I strode toward him, extending my left hand as an introduction as well as a sign of my status.


    ¡°Jayden Cortez, sir. I¡¯m here to see a couple of women arrested earlier today.¡± The man at the desk stood and eyed me with suspicion, until his eyes moved to my wrist as he shook my hand.


    ¡°Mr. Cortez, sir, apologies for my rudeness earlier. I¡¯m Mr. Smoke, the lead detective here.¡± Smoke¡¯s grip was rigid and tense, and he appeared to have straightened his posture as well. I was used to Joe calling me ¡°sir¡±, but it still felt strange to hear high ranking officials call me that.


    ¡°About the two prisoners, I¡¯d like to see them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Smoke led me deeper into the room toward a sturdy wooden door, which he promptly unlocked. ¡°We arrested these two this afternoon in suspicion of involvement with the Elementorium theft.¡±


    ¡°Both of them? I thought the thief in Rune was working alone,¡± I responded, attempting to sound surprised.


    ¡°Those were the reports we had gotten as well, but we found the black-haired one with her and took her under suspicion of being an accomplice.¡± We had gone through a second locked door and made our way into the holding room. There were six sturdy cells lining the walls of the room, only one of which was unoccupied. I knew which one Sera was being held in before Smoke even turned on the lights, though she was doing her best to hide her luminous skin.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said as we approached the middle cell on the right side of the room. The other prisoners had been disturbed by our intrusion, and were waking up to watch the new visitors. Sera and Claire were in the same cell, both huddled close to each other in the center of the cell--probably to avoid the groping hands of the men detained next to them. The image of Sera being grasped at and ogled by the nearby prisoners made my fury rise, the Uniflux beginning to wriggle under my skin in response.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to release both of them immediately please, Mr. Smoke,¡± I said, doing my best to stay calm. They were right there, in front of me, yet still out of my reach.


    Smoke seemed to be struggling with this request. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry sir, but I can¡¯t do that. These two are wanted criminals, we have a witness from Rune on his way now to identify them.¡± At this, Claire finally looked up. She didn¡¯t have the hopeful expression I had expected from coming to her rescue, but rather one of sheer terror.


    ¡°Have you located the Elementorium?¡± I asked, touching the cool metal of the necklace in my pocket. Claire¡¯s eyes caught this motion, and her expression seemed to lighten a bit.


    ¡°Well no, but--¡±


    ¡°Then you have no reason to hold these women,¡± I said immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Cortez, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± Smoke turned to me, frustration beginning to show on his otherwise impassive face. ¡°She perfectly matches the description given by multiple eyewitnesses, which is enough to hold her until the witnesses have identified her.¡±


    I clenched my fists, staring into the cell. Claire was eyeing me hopefully, while Sera still had her knees pulled up to her chest and her head buried. I wondered if she was sleeping, or perhaps suppressing some inner rage. Eventually I sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. There was nothing I could do for Claire if she was being convicted for a crime that she actually committed.


    ¡°And the other one? There are witnesses linking her to the theft, as well?¡± I finally asked. Smoke paused.


    ¡°No witnesses said that the blonde had an accomplice, but we did find a fair sum on her, which we believe she stole from someone in the store where we apprehended them.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well I¡¯d like you to release her, then, unless you can definitively link her to the Elementorium theft or prove that she stole that money.¡± Smoke said nothing in response to this. He seemed to be fighting his own inner demons of following his hunch about Sera or accepting the request of a high-ranking and respected citizen.


    Eventually he begrudgingly approached the cell, ordering Sera and Claire to turn and place their hands on the back wall of their prison. Claire obediently followed the orders, refusing to look at me. Sera, however, didn¡¯t move an inch. She remained in the same defensive position. Smoke sighed and opened the cell anyway, and I got the impression that Sera hadn¡¯t been very cooperative in her detainment.


    She was handcuffed and led out of the cell, whose door slammed shut behind her, the lock clicking into place. The anger in me immediately dissipated, leaving behind the guilt of having to walk away without Claire. Once we were past the two heavy doors leading to and from the holding cells, Sera¡¯s handcuffs were unlocked and she remained in place, her head down, though her body visibly seemed to lose structure. I automatically put a hand on her lower back, indirectly supporting her. She wrapped an arm around me, and I could feel her body slightly shaking.


    Joe seemed surprised to only see me with Sera, and not Claire as well, but he quickly recovered. ¡°We¡¯ll be going, then. I hope your investigation goes well, gentlemen,¡± He said in my place as we exited the room. I had no more words left for these men. As we returned to the stone hallways, I caught Smoke¡¯s suspicious glare.

 Chapter Eighteen

    Seraphine didn¡¯t make a sound the entire trip back to the house. Joe followed silently, occasionally looking back over his shoulder, and I was left to my quiet guilt. There wasn¡¯t much I could do to help Claire get out of a crime she committed, after all. ¡°I need your help clearing my name.¡± The words echoed in my mind over and over, reminding me of my failures. I had never really agreed to anything other than providing Claire a place to stay, but it still felt like it was my fault she was captured.


    I looked down at Sera, whose arm was still draped across my back and had taken to resting her head on my shoulder as we walked. She was no longer making an effort to hide her luminous skin, which I studied as we walked. Ever since I was selected by the Uniflux three years ago, my skin had taken on a golden-white glow. Or rather, my blood had. It was so bright that you could see it through my veins, capillaries, and skin. I raised my left hand to look at where the Uniflux rested, which was where my blood glowed the brightest. I idly wondered if this was from the toxin being released into my bloodstream, or something else.


    Sera¡¯s glow, on the other hand, was more like a pure white glow. It was what I would describe moonlight as, had I ever seen it with my own eyes. She seemed to have no variations in light level coming from her, which would have to be from Elysium¡¯s power being mixed with her very genes.


    Suddenly, Sera reached up and touched my extended hand, tracing its lines before following them down to the Uniflux. Her touch was light, still trembling as the rest of her body was, and sent chills down my spine. I clasped my hand around hers, attempting to warm her up. She didn¡¯t pull away as I feared, but left her hand in mine as we walked. As the house came into view, she pulled away from me, returning both hands to her sides. Joe walked ahead of us and unlocked the door, ushering us inside. Sera walked the length of the living room, her hand trailing on the backs of the couches and chairs. She looked like a ghost.


    ¡°Joe, would you give us a moment, please?¡± I requested after Joe had turned the lights on. He met my eye for a moment before nodding and retreating to his quarters. Seraphine still drifted silently, no longer glowing in the darkness of the room.


    ¡°Sera?¡± I said tentatively, watching her small figure stop and turn toward me.


    ¡°Why did you bring me back?¡± She asked quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help Claire.¡± At this she lifted her head, revealing her face for the first time all night. Her features were twisted in anger, while tears glistened in the blue-green of her eyes. My heart twisted and I took a step forward, barely stopping myself from closing the distance between us to embrace her.


    ¡°Why am I here?¡± She asked again, slower this time.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve to be imprisoned,¡± I said quietly, immediately regretting the words as they came out of my mouth. A tear fell down Seraphine¡¯s cheek and her jaw visibly clenched. Suddenly she extended her hand and the air around her became rancid with anger and hate. It felt as though every nerve in my body was being choked and twisted. The Uniflux in my wrist buzzed violently, burning my skin.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so-rry,¡± I choked. Was she going to kill me? Was she even capable of killing me? I wanted to believe that the Uniflux was protecting me, but I couldn¡¯t be sure Seraphine wouldn¡¯t overpower it.


    Just as abruptly as it had began, it stopped. The atmosphere returned to normal and the grip on my life was released. The Uniflux returned to its dormant state. I collapsed to the ground, the pain from Seraphine¡¯s power still subsiding. Looking up, I saw she had also fallen--probably when she had released her hold on me. Though it hurt to even breathe, I moved toward her and wrapped my arms around her shaking body, pulling her close.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jayden,¡± her voice spoke in my mind. I held her tighter.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take a bit more than that to kill me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t protect Claire. I¡¯m sorry you had to come rescue us.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°It was only a matter of time before Claire was caught, Sera. It was my fault for letting her go out like that. I should have kept her here¡­¡± It really was my fault. I had promised Claire a safe place to stay, then just let her walk out into broad daylight without even the thing she stole to protect her.


    Seraphine had remained silent for all of this, and I wondered if she had stopped reading my thoughts. I pulled away from her a bit, my hands moving to cover hers. She looked up. The anger had left her face, leaving behind only the sadness in her eyes. Another tear fell, and I caught it with my finger. Her eyes searched mine, begging me to come up with an answer or solution. I smiled at her.


    ¡°Well, if we can¡¯t get her out legally, then we¡¯ll just have to break her out. Right?¡± Seraphine¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a smile finding its way to her. She closed her eyes and nodded before resting her head on my chest.


    We remained like that for a few minutes before Sera pulled away, excusing herself to her room for the night. We agreed to start working on our plans in the morning, and eventually I headed to my room as well. I stripped and changed into a pair of loose pants, falling onto my bed with a sigh, my chest glowing lightly in the dark room.


    Physically I was tired--I could feel the exhaustion in my muscles, but my mind wouldn¡¯t allow me to sleep. Normally when there was something important I needed to do, it would consume my thoughts until I had a solid plan in place. Tonight, however, our upcoming jailbreak was furthest from my mind. My thoughts were instead plagued by Seraphine once more.


    After several minutes of contemplation about the mysterious girl sleeping in my house, I finally found myself drifting to sleep. I let the dark embrace of rest take me, pulling me into the dream world¡­ when something pulled me back. Quiet, tortured cries emerged out of the silence, and I sat straight up. My bedroom door flew open, Joe¡¯s concerned face searching my room to be sure I was safe.


    ¡°Seraphine,¡± I said, throwing myself past Joe and out of the room. I raced down the hallways, pulling open the door to the plum-themed guest room. Inside, I saw only Seraphine, twisting and thrashing under the white covers of the bed, beads of sweat visible on her forehead. Her eyes were squeezed shut, the sheets tangled around her body. I heard Joe let out a sigh of relief and close the door behind me as I quickly moved to the bed.


    ¡°No, please, stop!¡± She cried out, still thrashing with her eyes tightly shut.


    ¡°Sera, it¡¯s just a dream, you¡¯re alright,¡± I whispered to her, placing my hands on her shoulders to stop the thrashing. Her eyes opened suddenly and she immediately wrapped her arms around me. I could feel her heart racing as I held her close once again. ¡°It¡¯s alright now, it was just a dream,¡± I spoke softly into her ear.


    ¡°All those people¡­ so much fear¡­¡± her voice trailed off. The image of her--of Elysium killing all the survivors in Marxus appeared in my mind.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Sera.¡± She held me closer, burying her face deeper into my chest. ¡°Elysium killed all those people, not you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m terrified I¡¯ll lose control like that again,¡± she said quietly. I sighed and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°We¡¯ll learn to control your powers, everything will be alright.¡± She held me for a few more minutes, saying nothing. Her heart rate had returned to normal, and she had begun lightly stroking my shoulder blades. My eyes traced the length of her body; she had taken off everything except her tank top and underwear, and I was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that I was sitting in bed with a beautiful, mysterious, half-naked woman. My heart rate spiked and I felt my face flush.


    I pulled away, my gaze returning to her eyes. She looked slightly confused. ¡°You should try to get some sleep,¡± I said, squeezing her hands one last time before standing up. She nodded, looking down at her hands. As I reached the door, she spoke up.


    ¡°Will you stay with me?¡± I froze in place. The cool night air licked the skin on my chest, reminding me that I had barged into this girl¡¯s room half dressed. ¡°I think I¡¯ll sleep better if I¡¯m not alone,¡± she spoke again.


    I padded back over to the bed against my better judgment, which screamed at me that this was definitely crossing a boundary. Sera had moved over to one side of the bed, and was straightening out the sheets. I paused at the edge of the bed and she smiled up at me, patting the space next to her. Heart pounding, I got under the covers and laid on my back. Sera snuggled down under the blankets as well, lying on her side to face me.


    ¡°I suppose this kinda is crossing a boundary, but I¡¯m alright with it if you are,¡± she said, her dark hair falling over her shoulder and neck to touch the bedsheets.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really got to stop reading my mind unannounced,¡± I said, grinning at her.


    ¡°Mm. Sorry,¡± she said softly as she moved to rest her head on my chest. I re-positioned my arm so that it was wrapped around her, giving her more space to get comfortable on her impromptu pillow. She was asleep in less than a minute.


    With the object of my distraction at my side, I found it much easier to fall asleep. The events of the day washed away as I relaxed and closed my eyes. The familiar darkness of sleep swallowed me, and my senses drifted away.

 Chapter Nineteen

    Seraphine


    Sunlight filled the plum colored room, its tiny rays bleeding through my eyelashes as my body began to wake up. My peaceful waking was broken quickly by the memories of yesterday returning to the forefront of my mind with a vengeance. Claire and Jayden, both of whom I had met less than two days ago, had somehow found their way into my heart. A place normally reserved only for my close family, which was mostly dominated by Michael.


    And I had betrayed them. Claire was taken and I did nothing to help her. Then I left her behind when Jayden came for us, a victim of my own anger and fear. If only I knew how to control these powers, then I could use them to protect the ones I love. Protect, not hurt¡­ Images of Claire were replaced with ones of Jayden, standing in his sitting room, his very life force in my hands as I nearly killed him. He had been an outlet for my rage, and yet he still believed I was good. He still believed that I could learn control. He still came running to save me from my nightmares--


    Suddenly remembering the events that had transpired in this room, I rolled over to see Jayden beside me, sleeping soundly. Heat rushed to my face as I watched his chest rise and fall. I¡¯d asked him to stay, and he did. It was the first night since¡­ the event¡­ that I had slept through the night. I had gotten some sleep yesterday morning, but that was more out of physical exhaustion and I had woken up nearly every half an hour or so.


    I wonder if he slept well too, I thought to myself. Jayden began to stir, his eyes squinted against the unwelcome sunlight. He sat up and lazily looked over at me, his eyes suddenly becoming wide as though he just remembered going to bed with me last night.


    ¡°I did sleep pretty well, actually,¡± he said, stretching.


    ¡°W-What?¡± Had I accidentally projected my thoughts to him? That had never happened before¡­


    ¡°Did you not mean to invade my mind with your early morning questions?¡± He asked, looking at me with curiosity.


    ¡°Sorry if I woke you,¡± I replied, regaining a bit of composure.


    ¡°What, trying to read my dreams or something?¡± He inquired, a sly grin spreading across his face. I grinned back and shook my head, unable to hide a small laugh that escaped my lips. He was too cute and smart for his own good sometimes. Some part of me was conscious of his heart rate increasing at the sound of my laughter, and I looked up at him.  He shifted under the comforter, his hand accidentally brushing against my bare leg. I felt his heart rate increase again, along with mine. A flush blossomed on both of our cheeks as we looked at each other. I didn¡¯t pull my leg away, though.


    Why? Why was I letting him get to me like this? Why was I letting him touch me where Hector¡­


    Immediately I stood up and walked over to the dresser, pulling on my jeans and black boots. I looked back to see Jayden was still in bed, his head turned away from me to look out the window. I shuddered as more memories of Hector assaulted my mind, leaving imprints on my body where he had touched me. My lungs started to take in less and less air and I put a hand on the dresser in front of me to stabilize myself, but it didn¡¯t help. The memories overlayed themselves onto my vision as I saw the image of Hector, unfastening his pants and spreading my legs¡­A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I fell to the ground, still unable to breathe as my blood pounded in my ears. Hector grinned at my weakness, invisible hands clawing at the mark on the back of my neck. I tried to cry out, but found my mouth gagged. Dirt and tears clouded my vision and I forced my eyes shut as he pressed himself against me¡­


    ¡°Sera? Sera!¡± Michael? My mind wondered, slowly returning to reality. ¡°Get her some water,¡± the voice said. Not Michael. The voice belonged to someone older, someone with dark hair and hazel-green eyes. I carefully opened my eyes, terrified that Hector would be waiting for me. Jayden¡¯s concerned face filled my vision, and I could breathe again knowing Hector was nowhere to be found. My senses seemed to realign and I became aware of the cold sweat running down my back, my clammy hands shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Here, drink this,¡± Jayden said softly, raising a glass of clear liquid to me. I timidly raised a pale, shaking hand to the glass. The liquid--water, my mind corrected me, shook with my hand. A larger, warmer hand closed over mine, stabilizing the glass and steadily moving the water to my lips. I swallowed a miniscule amount of the cool liquid, and immediately regretted it. My stomach rebelled at the water¡¯s intrusion and lurched uncomfortably. Feeling my stomach begin to convulse, I stumbled up and through the door to the white bathroom, clinging to the edges of the toilet like a life raft. My dark hair tumbled over my shoulders before being quickly whisked away by hands not belonging to me.


    Jayden and I sat in the bathroom for several minutes until I regained control over my body¡¯s erratic behavior. We sat in silence, with Jayden gently rubbing my back in circles. Eventually, once I was feeling closer to normal, I moved my hand to hold his, and we stayed like that for a few more minutes before Jayden broke the silence.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± He asked. The most generic question, yet probably the only thing he could think of at the moment.


    ¡°Like hell,¡± I responded. After another minute of silence I added, ¡°we can stand up now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked as he helped me to my feet. My limbs were still trembling, but not as much as before. I would be able to walk, but probably not without Jayden¡¯s help.


    He supported me like a crutch as we walked out of the room and down the hallway. We paused outside the door to the library, and Jayden looked over at me.


    ¡°Do you want breakfast?¡± He asked, his concerned eyes searching my expression.


    ¡°No,¡± I responded, reminded of what one sip of water had done to my stomach. He nodded and pushed open the door to the library, helping me sit down in one of the cushioned chairs before straightening up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to grab some breakfast and get dressed,¡± he said, looking down at himself. I followed his gaze and took a moment to study his features. He didn¡¯t have a lot of muscle built up, but had enough to be defined. Probably a combination of light exercise and forgetting to eat as he was holed up in here studying. I nodded in confirmation of his statement, giving him the assurance he needed to leave me unattended.


    My eyes followed him out of the room, and a sigh escaped my lips. I leaned back in the chair and contemplated the ceiling. What was that just now? A panic attack? It seemed strange that I hadn¡¯t had one before now. In fact, until this morning I hadn¡¯t been able to remember details about Hector¡¯s attack. With that mental block broken, were more awful memories going to come flooding back? Was I going to have more panic attacks?


    I sighed again and moved my attention to the green trees outside the library window. He had successfully scarred me for life, just like he had planned. But I couldn¡¯t focus on my own grief now. Claire needed us, and we were going to have to act fast if we wanted to help her.

 Chapter Twenty

    Jayden


    ¡°Damn it!¡± I shouted in frustration, slamming my fist onto the small breakfast table in the kitchen. The plates and silverware rattled, and Joe looked up from his newspaper, all of which I ignored. Just when I had thought Sera was beginning to recover, she has a panic attack. You¡¯re probably the one who brought it on, my mind sneered. I felt helpless. There wasn¡¯t anything I could do for Sera. The things she¡¯s been through are too far out of my understanding. Psychology was never my favorite subject.


    I closed my eyes and let the memories play; our moment of nervous connection cut short when she pulled away from my touch. I had looked away to let her get dressed in private, only to find her swaying and falling to the ground, despite her desperate grip on the dresser. Damn it. What could I have done? I couldn¡¯t touch her, ever again. Not if it meant making her relive what that man did to her. I had to push these feelings down, as far away as possible. She was in no condition to be dealing with some idiot falling for her.


    But what if she was falling too? I shook my head violently. If Sera felt the same way about me as I did for her, I would let her make the first move. When she was ready.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± I grumbled to myself.


    ¡°Berating yourself again, sir?¡± Joe asked from across the table. I said nothing. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to send for a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. A doctor would need to ask too many questions in order to help her. We can¡¯t risk information getting out about what happened in Marxus.¡±


    ¡°I think this is beyond our scope of expertise though, sir.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, but there isn¡¯t anything that can be done. We need to focus on breaking Claire out right now,¡± I said, grudgingly tearing my thoughts away from the tortured Seraphine.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Speaking of Miss Claire, I think this article might be interesting to you.¡± Joe slid his newspaper over to me, pointing to a small article in the center folds of the paper. I quickly scanned the short article, my eyebrows raising as I finished it. It was about a small envoy that had arrived early this morning, staying at the inn closest to City Hall.


    ¡°You think this might be the witness Smoke said was coming from Rune?¡± I asked. Joe nodded. I had told him everything that had transpired behind the two thick doors of the holding cell room.


    ¡°If they arrived this morning and went straight to their inn, it¡¯s likely they didn¡¯t go to City Hall as soon as they got here.¡± I glanced up at the clock in the kitchen. It was still in the early hours of operation--Detective Smoke had probably only been at work for an hour, if that. ¡°It would be best to go in at night, when City Hall isn¡¯t as heavily guarded. Assuming the witness has already identified her or will soon, they probably won¡¯t start her hearing until tomorrow morning at the earliest, even with a high profile case like this one. They might spend the rest of the day questioning her about the Elementorium¡¯s location, but she should still be in holding tonight.¡±


    ¡°So tonight is our best bet,¡± a feminine voice came from over my shoulder. I turned to see Seraphine idling in the archway between the kitchen and sitting room. Her face was still drained of color, and she was holding on to the archway for support. I forced my thoughts away from her weakened state and returned to the task at hand.


    ¡°That is assuming we survive the day without guards showing up at the door. If Claire breaks and tells them the location of the Elementorium--¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Sera said simply, interrupting me. ¡°They interrogated her all day yesterday, but she didn¡¯t say a word. Didn¡¯t even tell them her name, though I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll know that once they¡¯ve talked to the witness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they probably will. It¡¯s safe to assume that the witness from Rune is Claire¡¯s brother, the rightful bearer of the Elementorium.¡± As I said this, part of me wondered if Claire would give them our location once her brother was involved. She clearly didn¡¯t think he should be the Elementorium¡¯s bearer, but I had gotten the impression that she felt guilty about stealing it.


    ¡°Joe, I want you to go talk to your contacts in the city guard and get word to us immediately if anyone is going to make a move on the house.¡± Joe nodded, setting his newspaper down and sparing a final glance at Sera and I before leaving.


    ¡°So we¡¯re going tonight. What¡¯s the plan once we get there?¡± Sera asked, still clutching the archway.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we need to figure out next. Come on,¡± I said, standing up and offering her my hand for stability. She took it and we relocated to the library, where I sat her down in the chair she had previously occupied. I quickly located the book I wanted, setting it on the table and opening it to the center pages. Inside was a folded blueprint of City Hall, which we pored over for the next couple hours as we devised our entrance and escape routes.


    The lunch hour passed without word from Joe, which in this case meant good news. After Sera and I had exhausted the blueprints of City Hall and had eaten a light lunch, she was looking much more like herself again. The color had returned to her cheeks, though there was little color to start with, and she seemed to have recovered from her earlier panic attack.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Sera asked, watching me as she stretched her arms and back in her dining chair. I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised that she hadn¡¯t simply read my mind in order to know what I was thinking.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Just wondering if you¡¯re feeling better,¡± I answered honestly. She returned her hands to her lap and looked down for a moment, pondering.


    ¡°Yeah, I feel mostly back to normal I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Feel up for a bit of training?¡± I asked, unable to hide the excitement from my voice. I had read a lot of material on the three moon¡¯s powers and how to use them, and was eager to put that knowledge to the test. Sera raised an eyebrow and the corners of her mouth resisted a smile, which I took for a yes. ¡°Come on,¡± I said, leading her out the back door of the house into a large, secluded clearing.


    ¡°This reminds me of the meadow in Marxus,¡± Sera said, her eyes scanning the clearing. Though she was turned away from me, I thought I saw a smile on her face.


    ¡°The place where we met?¡±


    Sera nodded and looked up, her chest visibly rising and falling with a long breath. I watched her for a moment, a smile finding its way to me. She looked at peace here, surrounded by trees and bathing in the sunlight.


    ¡°What training with your powers did you get in Marxus?¡± I asked, pulling her attention back to training.


    ¡°Nothing. Maya--the woman in charge of my daily lessons--always said that she couldn¡¯t teach me anything until my powers had unlocked.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s helpful of her.¡±


    ¡°So master,¡± she said, turning to me, ¡°where do our lessons begin?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at her calling me ¡°master¡±.


    ¡°Well, as I¡¯m sure you already know, the wildlife and forests all over the continent are from Elysium¡¯s power. Ever since you were born, you¡¯ve been passively providing a small amount of that power to the ecosystem--just enough to keep everything stable. Now that you¡¯ve come into your powers, that passive power should be largely increased.¡±


    ¡°I do know that much, and that Elysium¡¯s power is what mutated that monster into the beast it is today--or was,¡± she said, a hint of anger tainting her voice. She was talking about the Tamani, a creature that had been mutated by the power of Elysium steadily over the years until it became an unkillable, murderous machine.


    ¡°You killed that beast though, Sera. None of the previous Elysium bearers have been able to do that, even when it was first discovered.¡± She seemed to acknowledge this fact, though it surely brought back bad memories. ¡°In any case,¡± I continued, ¡°Elysium¡¯s power is largely connected to the life force of the planet--be it in plants, animals, or humans. In theory, you should be able to take anything that supports life, such as a seed, and manipulate the process.¡±


    ¡°In theory? You don¡¯t sound too sure, master,¡± she said, grinning at me. I nervously ran my hand through my hair. She had a point, after all.


    ¡°The Marx family has always been fairly tight-lipped about their powers, Sera. Books about Elysium¡¯s powers are mostly theories based on the visible impact they have on the planet and what eyewitnesses have seen. The Marx bloodline and the group that is sworn to guide them, the one Maya came from, are the only ones who know everything about Elysium¡¯s power. That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t figure some things out, though.¡±


    Sera remained silent for a moment, seeming to take in everything I had said. Eventually she spoke; ¡°I guess I could always ask Elysium¡­¡± her quiet voice faded to nothing.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®ask Elysium¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a few conversations with her--the embodiment of Elysium, that is. That¡¯s how I unlocked my powers when the Tamani attacked.¡± Her voice was a whisper, as though she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to share this secret. My mind, however, was spinning.


    Nobody had ever claimed to make contact with the personification of their powers, though many had tried. Meditation was a regular practice for the Uniflux and Elementorium bearers in order to form a spiritual connection with their trinkets, but nothing tangible had ever come from it. I looked down at the outline of the Uniflux in my wrist, wondering if Usarium was somewhere I could reach.


    ¡°Today probably isn¡¯t the best time for that, though,¡± Seraphine said, breaking my train of thought. ¡°What training did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well I was thinking about your mind-reading abilities,¡± I began, still distracted by Sera¡¯s earlier revelation. ¡°I don¡¯t know if previous Elysium bearers had that ability, but they were rumoured to be able to control just about anything with a life force. Have you ever felt anything like that before?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I focus on it, I can feel the life of everything around me. I could hear your heartbeat this morning, too.¡± I blinked twice before regaining focus.


    ¡°This is mostly just a theory, but I think for you to control something you have to first get into their head. When you command them to do something, you¡¯ll have to overpower their will, though.¡± I paused, waiting for Sera to say something. After a moment of silence I continued on, saying, ¡°So I figured you could try it out on me today. I¡¯ll do my best not to resist, so go ahead.¡±


    Seraphine¡¯s turquoise eyes searched mine for a moment before closing. Immediately I heard her voice in my mind, but it wasn¡¯t like before. She wasn¡¯t simply a bystander in my consciousness; she was trying to take over. As promised, I did my best to relax and allow her to take control. It was far more difficult than I had anticipated, though, as every fiber of my being seemed to be trying to resist her.


    ¡°Step forward,¡± her voice echoed in my mind, instantly clearing it. I was aware of my body moving forward, though I hadn¡¯t willed it to do so. I watched as I closed the gap between Sera and I, and felt my heart rate increase as we were practically nose to nose. Still not having received another command, I waited, motionless. After a moment, Sera exhaled and wrapped her arms around me. All at once, her control over my mind dissipated and I immediately reciprocated, holding her close.


    Why was she letting me do this? Why, after everything I had put her through this morning, did she want to be close to me?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Jayden,¡± she responded to my silent question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you again.¡±


    ¡°You''re not the one who hurt me.¡± She pulled away, her hands resting on my shoulders as she met my eyes. ¡°You make me feel safe. I can¡¯t change what happened to me, but I¡¯m not sure that I should be running from it either. I don¡¯t know what to do, there¡¯s too much in my head¡­¡±


    I moved a hand up to her head and pulled her close again. I wanted desperately to make her pain go away, but I didn¡¯t know how. Hatred for a faceless man filled me and I clenched my jaw.


    ¡°I wish it was already dark, then we could just go save Claire,¡± Sera said, looking up at me. ¡°One less thing on my mind, that way.¡± Finally, something I could do for her.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, extending my hand. The Uniflux seemed to wake up, and began glowing in anticipation. Sera took my hand, her slender fingers curling around my palm. I closed my eyes and opened myself--us to the passing of time. Concentrating on the moment when we had planned to leave for City Hall, I allowed time to spin around us.

 Chapter Twenty-One

    Claire


    I stared at the gray floor beneath me. It was smooth concrete, unlike the wood floors that filled most buildings on Rein. They didn¡¯t want the prisoners having any chance of using the materials around them for escape. You¡¯re a prisoner, my mind reminded me. I closed my eyes.


    It had been some time since Jayden left with Seraphine. My mind told me it might be morning now, but there were no windows to confirm my suspicion. Your fault you¡¯re here, thief, the cruel voice in my head echoed. Despite the sleepless night in jail and what was surely a terrible fate awaiting me, I still wanted to escape and return to the Elementorium.


    Voices drifted into the room, and I looked up at the heavy wooden door. It creaked open, a small strip of daylight entering the dark room followed by the outline of a shoe. The lights on either end of the room flickered to life, waking several prisoners up. The first one into the room was Detective Smoke, a man I had grown to detest the more he questioned me. He was followed by one of the nameless town guards, then finally the face I had been expecting.


    Jackson looked well rested, though lines had begun to form between his eyebrows. His eyes scanned first the cells on the left wall, then moved to the right and found me. I glared at him, despite being glad to see him. Not that I wanted him to confirm that I was the one who stole the Elementorium, but it had been a while since I had seen the boy I had grown up with, and I had missed him.


    To my surprise, another familiar face stepped through the door; my mother. Her eyes were red and puffy--she had obviously been doing nothing but crying since I had left. Those sad eyes seemed to light up when she saw me, and she let out a little squeak before rushing over to me. I stood and met her embrace between the bars, tears threatening to escape for the first time since my dad died.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t touch the prisoner, ma¡¯am,¡± Smoke¡¯s gruff voice warned. My mother let out a small sob before pulling away, quickly wiping her eyes.


    ¡°Claire,¡± Jackson greeted me, glaring. I matched his glare once again.


    ¡°Jackson.¡± My brother closed his eyes and shook his head, sighing.


    ¡°Ah, so your name is Claire!¡± Smoke said, sounding triumphant. ¡°That was quick, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I moved my glare to him. He squirmed under my gaze, which made me grin. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned to Jackson, whose attention was still locked onto me.


    ¡°So, Mr. Tethers? Is this the thief who took the Elementorium?¡± Jackson said nothing for a moment.


    ¡°Yes,¡± He said finally. Smoke grinned.


    ¡°Could you please state her full name for the record?¡±


    ¡°Claire Diane Tethers. She¡¯s my sister, age eighteen.¡± Well. This was it. Any hope I had of Jackson letting me go free was dead.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tethers. Now if you would please follow me back into the office, we¡¯ll take your statement and begin filling out the paperwork necessary for her trial.¡± Smoke turned on his heel and headed to the door, his guard following close behind.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°No, Mr. Smoke.¡± Jackson¡¯s voice seemed to reverberate off the walls.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry?¡± Smoke¡¯s triumphant expression faltered.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be pressing charges against her.¡± My eyes grew wide. He what? The rest of the room seemed to share my surprise. ¡°I¡¯m not pressing charges,¡± Jackson repeated, his voice level and his stare unfaltering.


    ¡°B-but sir, this girl, she¡­¡± Smoke seemed to have run out of words.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of what she did. I told you, I¡¯m not pressing charges. Once the Elementorium is returned to me, I want her released immediately.¡±


    Nobody spoke while Jackson¡¯s words sunk in. My mother seemed ready to burst, her sparkling eyes moving from me to Jackson, then back to me. I¡¯m going free, my mind spoke over and over. But why? He should hate me. I tried to ruin his chances of earning the Elementorium at the Ceremony of Elements, and when that had failed I stole the most powerful object on the planet straight from is neck. He should hate me.


    But¡­ wait. He still wanted the Elementorium. I would only be released if I told them where it was. My mind flicked back to the image of myself handing Jayden the Elementorium, then to his hand in his pocket, tracing the outline of the necklace. Was there any way to give them its location without getting Jayden arrested in the process? Was there any way to keep it for myself? The question I had been trying to bury found its way to the forefront of my mind. Even if it meant my freedom, I didn¡¯t want to give Jackson the Elementorium.


    ¡°Well, Claire?¡± Jackson¡¯s voice broke my thoughts. ¡°Are you going to tell me where you hid it?¡± I opened my mouth, then closed it. Jackson stared at me for a moment longer before his face twisted in disgust and he turned to leave.


    The heavy wooden door closed with a slam behind them. What was I doing? Jackson had just promised my freedom with the return of the Elementorium, and I had stayed silent. He won it, my mind reminded me, it¡¯s rightfully his, not yours. Perhaps I should just let him have it. What good is being the Elementorium¡¯s bearer if I¡¯m imprisoned because of it? If only the people of Rein could see that I don¡¯t have to be a certain age just to control its power¡­


    ¡°Fear not, child,¡± a voice echoed in my mind. I had heard this voice only once before, but recognized it immediately.


    ¡°Torium?¡± I thought back. Strangely, I could feel Torium¡¯s nod of confirmation somewhere in the depths of my consciousness.


    ¡°Your conviction wavers, child. Do you think your friends would abandon you so quickly?¡±


    ¡°How can you still reach me?¡± I asked, not wanting to answer Torium¡¯s question.


    ¡°You are the last vessel to use Torium¡¯s powers, therefore you are still connected, even when so far apart.¡± Its words settled in my mind. The last time I had talked to Torium, it had been a couple days since I had fled Rune. I was lost and afraid in the forests, and assumed Torium¡¯s voice was some kind of hallucination from dehydration. Torium¡¯s voice directed me to a nearby spring, and eventually to the city of Kiso to find Jayden. I had taken to calling Torium an ¡°it¡±, since the only reference I had was it¡¯s voice--which was neither male or female.


    ¡°You think Seraphine and Jayden are coming to rescue me, then?¡± I thought back, returning my thoughts to the task at hand.


    ¡°Torium is certain of it. Elysium and Usarium work amidst their own struggles to retrieve you.¡±


    ¡°What struggles?¡± I thought back, my curiosity piqued. Torium didn¡¯t answer. I waited for several minutes, but there was no reply. Torium¡¯s visit had accomplished what it had intended, though. I couldn¡¯t give the Elementorium over to Jackson, even if it would guarantee my freedom. Jayden was on his way to break me out, I just needed to bide my time.


    What will that change, though? My mind questioned. I pushed the thought from my head. Jayden would help me clear my name, I was sure of it.