Captured

The next day, when he was done training at Ur'ti-ak, Heat ran as fast as he could to his usual meeting site with Mel. When he got there, the Sun had already set and darkness was slowly creeping in. On the exposed root of a large tree, Mel sat.

"Second straight day, Heat," she said when he entered the tiny clearing.

"I know and I'm sorry."

"You're the one who needs this, not me. So are you apologizing to me, or to yourself?"

He walked over and sat next to her.

"I have good news though."

"Does it have to do with the information I gave you yesterday?"

"Kinda."

Mel braced for bad news. "What did you do?"

"I fought Ursus and it awoke his sage hood!"

"So you were just searching for an excuse to fight. He pissed you off the day before, right? That's why you were punching the trees."

"But that's the thing, I feel excellent after fighting him, after letting it out."

"Heat, Ursus played a prank on you! That's not something to use to fight him."

"How did you know that? I never told you."

"It doesn't matter. What I know is this; you fighting him doesn't work well for you. You're not the one feeling excellent. The thing inside you is what's feeling excellent. It's excited because you're succumbing to it." Heat was quiet for a while.

"What if we're approaching this wrongly? What if I'm not meant to seal away the thing inside me at all."

"Heat, do you realize what you're saying?!"

"Look, Mel, I do my best! I try as hard as I can, but it's not easy! Not at all! Everything we do here just feels like short term solutions, to keep me sane long enough till the next session."

"Heat, it works!"

"Of course you'll say that. You're not the one with the issue, so how would you know?" Mel jerked to her feet.

"What makes you think that?!"

Heat's heart momentarily skipped a beat at the unexpected reaction.

"How would I know how to help you if I had never experienced such a situation?"

Heat buried his face in his palm. "Summer hut in Togo." He sighed. "You know, I've never met a single person who can tolerate me as much as you do, and I don't truly mean half the things I say nowadays.

Mel sat back on the tree's root.

"It'll amaze you what I've had to put up with."

Mel slowly took Heat's hands from his face and held his head. Their eyes met. She could see the pain inside his eyes, and strangely, he started to see the same inside hers.

"Mel…"

There was a sudden breeze for just a split second. Then a fire slowly crept towards them. While their gazes were frozen on each other, a huge circle of dancing flames formed around them. However, they hadn't noticed because in their eyes, time was still and the only things in motion were their lips drawing closer. Everything was insignificant except the blood rushing through their veins, acting as the magnet between them, creating an epicenter only where their lips would meet. Just before contact was made, there was a rustle in the bushes behind. Unlike the fire, this one startled them; their heads jerked backwards. Heat watched as a python slithered through the fire.

"Mel, take out your knives."

Mel grinned as the snake drew nearer.

"No, I don't have to."

It stopped right next to them and laid an egg. Just after, the fire died.

The golden egg radiated a blinding light. Mel took off her jacket and used it to cover the egg.

"Mel…"

Heat was speechless as the pieces of the snake began to break away and disappear into thin air. He went on his knees to closely examine the egg, but Mel suddenly pushed him aside and ducked. Two daggers hit a tree behind them.

"Amaroqs!" Mel exclaimed.

Before they could make a ran for it, they were completely surrounded by leaked amaroqs. Mel stretched her right hand at the egg wrapped in her jacket and a sword's tip appeared from thin air, touched the egg and disappeared along with it.

"We have to find a way out," Mel stated the obvious as she leaked.

"Oh really? I wouldn't have guessed."

The amaroqs drew closer.

"Which of them would be the weakest?" Heat asked.

"Him." Mel pointed to one who looked the youngest of all the amaroqs there.

"He's our way out."

Heat and Mel charged at him, prompting those around him to attack. Mel did a twist flip to jump above Heat and jabbed two amaroqs with her knives. Heat quickly followed with rapid spin and fired a Great Snake's Hiss at the other amaroqs close to them.

"I never knew you could do a Great Snake's Hiss so fast!"

"I never knew you could do a flip so high!"

They had broken out through the weak link, and now Mel and Heat ran quickly.

"Meliboea!"

A deep voice brought them to a halt.

"It's Deucalion," Mel whispered to Heat. "And he's behind us," she added.

"I have one Great Snake's Hiss left. When I give the signal, ran as fast as you can, don't even look back, and don't worry, I'll be right behind you. You'll witness my true speed today."

"Okay."

When Deucalion reached behind them, Heat formed a Hebikaze and fired a Great Snake's Hiss at him. Deucalion swiftly dodged but got slightly hit in his cheek. He grabbed Heat by the neck and lifted him up.

"Where's Meliboea?" he asked.

"If you mean Mel, she's long gone. None of your pawns would be fast enough to catch her."

Heat had now used three Great Snake's Hisses in quick succession. That was his limit; he was very tired and weak. He could do nothing to retaliate.

Mel did exactly as she was told. The moment Heat attacked Deucalion, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. When she reached the tarred road, she looked behind and saw neither friend nor foe. Heat had deceived her; he planned to let her be the one to escape all along. Mel was angry, sad and frustrated, but deep down she knew this was exactly what he had planned. She threw her knives on the road, stomping her feet and kicking the air. A chill suddenly ran down her spine, a familiar presence ticked off something in her.

"I have to get Medeina, or Shinsei."

Mel took a couple of steps forward, then she came to a realization. There was another option that did could still keep everything under wraps. Heat was the person most important to the entire army of Lord Hebi, arguably the most important factor on their side, their possible key to winning the war.

"Shishio."

Mel turned and started to run in the opposite direction. As she ran, she felt an object move about in her pocket. When she took it out, she recognized Heat's phone. On the phone's lock screen, there was an address with a name below—Supido.

Mel chuckled. "You magnificent serpent."