|JUNE 6TH, 2022|

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Sairen's room was a lot like mine; it had the same layout and the same feel that it was barely lived in. The walls had changed over the years as well, from blue to a light grey, but the memories stayed.

I guess I had sort of moved in with him, finding it hard to sleep without feeling him next to me, knowing that the nightmares would come once he wasn't around. Yet I couldn't catch much sleep last night, even beside him. I kept waking up throughout the night, my mind racing with a million thoughts and thousands of scenarios of what could go wrong so I finally decided to give up on sleep and sat up on the bed, Sai's place empty, watching as the night sky became brighter; signaling the beginning of a new day— a day closer to our deadline.

The week had gone by, thankfully, without much note-able events. Akali left the same day that I placed Aunt-Drea into stasis, and she was still in painless sleep without a cure that seemed to work. Achar hadn't visited me as much, though I kept glancing over my shoulders every few seconds expecting him to be there, but he wasn't, and I was grateful for small mercies.

The shadows in front of me rippled and before I armed myself Sairen stepped through, clad in his Raven's uniform. He froze when he saw me, clutching his chest. "By the Goddess Solaure! Why are you sitting at the break of dawn staring off into nothing?"

I laughed as he shrugged off his coat and tossed it on the chair. " I didn't know you got scared."

"Any sane person would, really," He said, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt. "What are you doing up so early?"

I shrugged. "I woke up around three and you were gone, so I didn't want to go back to sleep without my guardian."

"I'm sorry," He pulled out a change of clothes from his wardrobe. "I got an assignment then Cas called so I dropped by."

I sat up straighter. "What did he say?"

"They have a lock on the two locations with the strongest energy, so it's just to confirm which is the decoy; but they have to do that while trying not to trip the wards around both properties or else they'll alert our enemies that we're closing in on them."

"So how are we going to do that? If we do a spell to take it down they'll know."

" Cas sent some people undercover as benefactors; that's the only way to get in before the event without triggering the wards."

"So we just have to wait?"

"Unfortunately."

I shook my head, growing frustrated. "I don't like that. That's cutting it way too close."

"Believe me neither do I, but we have six days. If we can find another way out in that time, then great, but if not, we'll have to stop it all on the day of. " He walked towards the bathroom and pulled open the door, turning back to me before stepping in. "Give me five minutes to wash all this blood off, vai?"

I busied myself with my dagger as the shower ran, watching how the lamp light reflected on the Enaidium blade, scattering little light squares in hues of pink and blue. A few days wasn't enough to come to terms with the fact that my father was still alive, but it was enough for me to grow numb to the fact, and as I watched the family portrait engraved into the golden hilt I felt a sad smile pull at my lips.

He had given me this dagger the day before my sixth birthday, today I turned eighteen and I still had his gift, but he was nowhere around.

"Hey," I turned towards Sai as he stepped out freshly changed, his hair still wet from his shower. "What are you thinking about?"

"A bit of everything, honestly. Nothing seems to be working out and we have less than a week." I sighed. "It's all just fucked up."

He sank down next to me and I took the towel from his hand, helping him dry his long hair. " Then how about for now—just for a little while; we can't afford much leisure time anyway— we take our minds off of every fucked up thing and focus on something else?"

"Like what?"

He leaned over to his side table and opened a draw, pulling out a small velvet box and I let the towel fall on the bed. "Turn around."

My eyes narrowed at the closed box. "Why?"

"Sol."

"Okay," I turned away from him and a moment later felt the coolness of metal touch my chest. My fingers feathered the familiar necklace that now had a shorter gold chain hanging above it; a stunning jade heart bordered by small diamonds hung over his mother's ring.

"Happy birthday Sol. "

"Thank you," I mumbled into his shoulder as I pulled him into a tight hug, the pendants pressing between us. "It's beautiful. And the ring... I thought I lost it."

"I found it after you left; the chain was broken so I had it fixed and kept it safe."

I smiled as I recalled his words and pulled back, playing with the ring that hung from the gold chain; it fit my finger perfectly now. "You know you told me that you'd give it to me when you're going to marry me for real. Are you proposing?" I teased— sort of. Not really.

"Are you accepting?"

We laughed, but there was something underlying in our exchange that had me blushing and focusing on the clearing sky through the sheer curtains rather than his eyes on mine. "I'll think about it."

"So for the sake of things," Sairen started when the tension had thawed a bit, "if everything was normal— as in we had no war to fight or a doomsday to stop, what would you be doing today?"

I thought about it a bit before answering. If my life was normal and I had friends and my family, if I didn't have to worry about monsters, and memories, and nightmares, then there was nothing really that I'd want. I looked down towards his hand that laid by my leg, and at the black designs that chorded around it and I thought of something. "Probably getting a tattoo."

His brows raised behind his hair that seemed somehow darker damp. "A tattoo?"

"Yeah," I shrugged, "My Mark's nowhere to be found so I might as well."

"Well I can't do elaborate designs like animhi, but I do doodle." He leant over the the nightstand again and pulled out a black marker this time, removing the cap with his teeth. " Now, you're the artist of our duo, and also my first client so you can't be upset if I botch it. Where do you want it? "

I chuckled and pulled down the strap of my top slightly. " My shoulder,"

He nodded and pressed the tip of the pen to my skin, drawing soft lines on the surface. I watched him as he worked, how his lips were slightly pursed and his brows were slightly furrowed. I was so focused on him yet I didn't realize that he was finished.

"There,"

I looked down at my shoulder and at the small new design that sat there... a small, squiggly thing. I looked up at Sairen, trying to hide my smile. "What is it?"

" A chihuahua. "

I looked down at the blob on my shoulder again and tried to see a possible resemblance but couldn't. "I'm suing."

"What? It's not that bad."

" I mean sure, if I squint... Extremely hard." I pointed to an oblong shape at the center of the thing. "That's it's head?"

"Tail."

"Of course." I couldn't contain my smile now. "Wait. Why am I a chihuahua?"

Sairen looked at me as if it should've been obvious. " You're small and vicious. You'll fit right in with those evil things."

"I'm offended." I fixed my strap, carful not to smear the ink. "And I'm not paying for this."

"It was on the house anyway," Sai stood, pulling me up with him. "You've been up a while, lets get you some breakfast."

"I'm not—" his glare made me rethink my sentence. "Okay."

"Good girl."

I followed him out the door, grinning behind his back, and bumped into Matt who had a huge smile on his face.

"Matty!" I tackled him into a hug and he picked me up, squeezing tightly. "You're back!"

"Yeah, I was just making sure Kali was completely settled before I came back. Then Erin and Asli asked if I could stay another day. And..." He grinned, his mouth opening comedically wide, " HAPPY BIRTH..."

I clasped my hand over his mouth but he continued to sing loudly, albeit a bit muffled, under my hand. "I'm begging you, stop! "

"Haffy birfday—"

I dove on him, covering his mouth with both hands and laughing over my words. "Stop it."

" Ofay,"

"Do you promise?"

He nodded and I loosened my grip but didn't let go completely. "No more of that, alright?"

"Your elbow is impaling my chest..."

" That's what you get, " I fully let go only for him to pull me into another hug.

"Happy birthday, minion."

"Thank you. " I poked him in his shoulder, teasing. "What did you get me?"

He poked me back. " You'll see. "

"You actually got me something?"

" I did, it's in the kitchen. " He turned his back to me, crouching a bit. "Come on."

"Really Matty?"

" It's tradition, come on."

I rolled my eyes but hopped on anyway, giggling as Matt jumped a bit to push me higher. "If you make me fall..."

"I won't." He looked back at me, mischief in his eyes. "At least not unintentionally."

Matt took off down the hallway, running like he used to all the time and I forgot all about our current situation for a few moments and focused on the few good things.

Matthias lowered me down onto the table when we reached the kitchen and handed me a small box wrapped delicately in light pink gift paper. "Open it."

I unwrapped the little black bow and lifted the lid off the box. Inside, surrounded by black kite paper, laid a thin, rectangular device. I had lost my phone the day we barely escaped those woods, and it never bothered me since I had no one to call, but I was still extremely grateful that he thought to get me one.

"It's Eçalian technology," He said, taking the phone out of the box and turning it over. The back was made of a flat, pale, almost luminescent blue stone. " It's a developed and modernized version of a Seestone; It operates like a regular phone but you can make calls to other dimensions. Kali was tired of having to ask me to put you on so I figured you should have your own."

"Thank you, Matty."

"Try it out, she's waiting for your call. Her contact is already in."

I took the phone from him and turned it on, scrolling through the contacts and pressing call on Kali. The screen brightened and a second later her face was staring back at me.

"Hey! There's the birthday girl. I've been waiting around with this thing in my hand for when Matt finally gave you yours. Happy Eighteenth! "

"Hey, thanks; how are you doing?"

"I'm good. Baby's good too; I actually felt the first kick this morning. I guess he—or she was excited to see you."

" Really? "

She nodded with a huge smile on her face. " It's the first time I've ever felt a movement. Matt cried."

"I want to cry."

She laughed at me and mouthed a 'Thank you' to which I just smiled.

"I don't hear any commotion over there; " I said, looking over her head. "Where are the girls?

"They're in school, they were upset because they're missing your call."

The time difference made it hard to get in touch with the girls since they had school most days, and morning here was night there, so we always missed each other . "Tell them to give me a call later. I'll wait up."

"I will." Her eyes flickered to my side to where Sai was lounging on the counter, "Soli can you pass the phone to Siya; I need to tell him something."

"Sure."

"What? Do you miss me?" Sairen asked when he took the phone from my hand, grinning over a bite of apple.

"As much as I hate to admit, a little; but that's not it," Kali's voice had taken on a bit of a serious undertone. "Your grandfather has been asking for you . He asked me to tell you to come see him. " I didn't need to see Siaren's face to know that it had hardened, but Kali saw and her expression softened. "It sounds important."

"I'll give him a call. "

"Should she tell him to look forward to it? Or are you just saying that?" It was Matt who had spoken this time.

The atmosphere and gotten seemingly heavier so I slid off the counter and smoothed out the imaginary creases on my clothes. "You guys talk, I'm going to check on Drea. "

Aunt-Drea's door was opened when I arrived and Jules sat at her side bandaging her wounds, her face tight with concentration.

"How is she doing?"

Jules turned towards the sound of my voice, her face relaxing a bit when she saw me. "Happy birthday baby."

"Thank you, aunty." She turned her attention back to Drea and I took a seat at the edge of the bed.

"Drea is... stable for now, but her body is rejecting every cure I manage to make. "

Defeat and dread resurfaced. "Still?"

" Still. "

I looked at Aunt-Drea, how pale and thin she looked— a dire contrast to her bright self–and sighed. "Do you think there even is one? He said it's Blood Poison—that he can control how it affects the victim. What if the only cure is for him to will it away?"

She puffed out a breath as she tied off the bandage. "I honestly don't know Soli, but I have to try everything I can. " She patted my cheek and smiled. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet,"

"How about some waffles, hmm? With chocolate chips and cold cocoa. If you still like it that way. "

I smiled lightly. "Sounds amazing aunty."

"Good. I'll whip that up for you and call you when it's done. You can spend some time with your least favorite aunt in the meanwhile. " She inclined her head to Drea's sleeping form and I laughed.

"I love you both equally aunt Jules. "

"She's sleeping you know, you can tell the truth. "

The humor fell from her face slowly, until she watched me with something akin to regret on her young face. "I wish I was there to see you become the woman you are now. It makes me sad when I think about everything I missed while you grew up , but I'm grateful that you had Drea; at least you had one of us there with you. " She brushed my cheek again. "But I'm here now and I'm going to make up for lost time so don't you get tired of me, okay?"

I wiped the tears that were pooling in her eyes. "I don't plan on it."

I shifted closer to Aunt-Drea when Jules left, taking in her once beautiful features that were now sunken and dark. I took up a brush and began running it through her hair, like she used to do for me when I was little.

"She doesn't look too healthy, does she?" The voice came from directly behind me and I didn't have to turn around to know that he was looking over my shoulder at Aunt-Drea.

" I was hoping you died during the past few days and that's way you weren't taunting me. "

Achar chuckled. The pleasant sound was coated with a layer of malice. "Sorry to disappoint you little light , but I did the opposite; I woke."

Dread ran down my body like dead leaves across a graveyard and I turned towards him. If I didn't know that he was only an apparition I would have sworn that he was actually standing before me; Every menacing feature of his was perfectly clear, from the untouched strands of flaming red that covered his head, to the sly smirk coating his mouth. I could have counted every russet eyelash and every faint pore, that's how real he seemed.

"Why such abject horror, Little light? Do you finally realize that time is not on your side? You do not have the luxury to think that you have the upper hand, girl. This past week I have been busy, communicating with allies, putting things in place for when I am finally free. And I am pleased to say that I have not been disappointed with my subjects, they have served me well and soon the barrier around Ilairk will be broken. " He smiled down at me. " But of course I had to take a little time out of my busy schedule to wish my favorite daughter a 'Happy Birthday', so, "

The scar on my wrist started to burn and I tried to mask my pain, to not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry out, but it was just too much, and a small whimper escaped my lips. The eclipse grew until the sun was almost completely covered and then it stopped.

"Happy Birthday."

And he was gone.

I dipped into the shadows beneath my feet and reappeared back in the kitchen where Jules was sorting out ingredients and laughing at something Sai said. She almost flew five feet into the air when she turned and saw me.

"By the Goddess Solaure! " She clutched her free hand to her chest and studied my expression closely. "Is something wrong ?"

"Achar's awake." The moment the name left my lips the Schadeux grew anxious, their voices rising to hurried whispers that only I heard. The whisk fell from Jules' hand and into the bowl with a loud thud, splattering flour across the counter.

"What?" Matt rose from the stool at the island, wearing the same look on his face as everyone else.

"And he's been busy too." I ran my hand through my hair, tugging lightly, and felt a few strands come loose. "All he needs is the barrier to be broken and then there is no stopping him."

There was a soft, muffled beeping and Matt pulled out a small black device like the one Sairen carried around all the time. He pressed a button on the pager and the beeping stopped, but his expression grew dimmer. "Mom they need us at K.O.A.C. "

" What's wrong now? "

"I don't know, but it's code yellow. "

Jules slammed her palm on the marble counter and I jumped. " One day! Just one freaking day without—" She sighed and placed her head in her hands. "I'm sorry about your breakfast Soli but I have to go. "

"I know. Just be safe, both of you."

She came around the counter and gave me a small hug. "I'll make it up to you. Matty go get the car ready, I'll be down in a minute. I just need to get my stuff. "

"Sure. " Matt patted my shoulder before leaving and Jules followed right after.

I dropped myself into the stool Matt had just occupied and took a strawberry from the bowl she had left out. I couldn't even enjoy the sweet fruit with the bitter taste of doom on my tongue.

"What are you thinking about?" Sairen came around the counter, tying his hair back, and the black crescent in the middle of his forehead came into view. I reminded myself to ask him about it sometime. He washed his hands then threw some ingredients into the bowl.

"What are you doing?"

"We came down for breakfast."

"Right." I rested my head on the counter, drawing on some spilt flour. "I've improved with my training,"

"Tremendously,"

"Thank you. And I can fight for longer periods of time now, with or without my powers, but still I'm weak whenever we're done. How am I supposed to take him on if I can barely keep myself from fainting after a fight?"

His fingers wrapped around my chin, making me look up at him. "You underestimate yourself Sol, and you seem to forget that you are not in this alone. The entirety of K.O.A.C is fighting this war. I am fighting this war."

I rested my hand on his, taking solace in his touch. "I forgot that you're 'special', we might win this after all," I tried to give him a smile but it was weighed down by my heavy thoughts. "When that day does come, don't leave my side okay? "

"I was about to tell you the same thing. "

"Then we have a deal." I dipped my finger in the batter and tasted it. "It's good."

"Is it?"

"Yeah," I coated it again and held it for him to taste. I couldn't help but focus on the feel of his mouth against the skin of my finger, and I couldn't help thinking about how his mouth would feel on mine instead; but I shook the intrusive thought of kissing him away and forced myself to sever my gaze from his lips and to his eyes. He was watching me too.

" Since when do you know your way around the kitchen?" I asked, focusing on my flour shapes instead of his face. "You used to burn water. "

He chuckled as he sliced some strawberries and plated them; it was a deep, alluring sound. "Since my little cousin made me her person. She was only one when her father died— my uncle I told you about—and my aunt wasn't doing too well either so I stepped in. I filled in as dad and mom until my aunt recovered enough to take care of her again, and now I'm permanently both."

He had the sweetest smile on his face as he spoke of her; I could see the love oozing out of his every pore. "What's her name?"

" Adelaide. Don't tell the twins but she's the sweetest. "

I grinned. "I'm going to tell them."

"Snitch." He mouthed as he slid a full plate towards me.

I smiled and took a bite, groaning softy at the pleasant taste. "I'm suddenly jealous of a five-year-old if this is the treatment she gets."

"She's my girl, she gets anything she wants... " He frowned, the little crescent creasing, "This is actually the longest I've been away from her since she was born. "

"Then she must miss you like crazy."

" I miss her too, but the girls are there, and so is Kali so she won't be too lonely. " He took a bite of his breakfast.

"Is her mom not around?"

"Aunt Josie never fully recovered from her injuries, so she's too weak most of the time to keep up with a five year old and Grandfather was never really the patient type, not with me anyway " He shrugged with indifference at his last statement. "So Addie mostly stays with me when I'm in Eçalis." He rested his fork on his plate, tapping twice before letting it go as he thought of something. "Do you want to go somewhere? "

"But Drea... "

He picked up his fork again and began twirling it between his fingers almost absentmindedly. "Uncle Tomas is supposed to have an old Seestone somewhere in his study, we can activate it and leave it by Drea. If something happens we can easily be back here in seconds. What do you say? "

I nodded, shaking my hesitation to the side. I needed this, I needed at least half of a normal day. "Yeah. Okay. "