The story so far:

----Aija, Zuri, and Ze are three friends, who were working at the Pristine School at Innermost. Aija gets involved with the Ytai first, leading Zuri and Ze to them as well. Zuri falls in love with Nala (Lalana), who is Ytai, and works with Thieron. Aija and Ze are captured by Thieron, of H'eon, when they were at the Hospital - Aija was at the Hospital with Kuna of R'ies and Zuri to stop a Harvest; Ze was there to visit his sick student Xan. Thieron has bound Aija to himself, and Nala has bound Ze to herself. Luka works for Thieron(Ah'n), along with Lalana (Nala).

----Aija, Ze, Thieron, Luka, and Nala go to the South Land. Luka admits that they are there for a Harvest.

----While they are on the Harvest, they get stopped by a group of people - the Zayr.

----Aija and Ze meet Princess Ruyanir of the Zayr.

----Ze and the Princess have an instant connection.  

----The Prince has requested Aija and Ze to meet him.

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****29.3 - Aija****

The Princess' guard walked them to the Prince's place. It was bigger than Princess Ruyanir's. It was very close too, but she'd already figured that out from the lack of pain in her wrist. 

The guards in front of the house stared them up and down as they walked in. The house was barely furnished. It was much simpler compared to the Princess's place. The guard waited in front of an entrance covered with a curtain made of seashells. It was a pretty thing. 

Another guard – the Prince's – slid the curtain aside and welcomed them in. The Princess' guard bowed at them and left. 

Aija and Ze went into the brightly lit room. Thieron, Luka, and Nala were already there. 

"Welcome," the Prince said in CommLang. 

She sighed. Did they all know perfect CommLang? She had better start learning Ytèan. 

The Prince was striking, stunning; it took Aija's breath away.

He was standing near the door on the opposite side of the room; it opened out to a balcony with a view of the ocean. He took a few steps closer to them and smiled. 

His skin was tan with a rosy undertone, especially near his cheeks – Aija was immediately jealous of it. His eyes were glowing amber. His silky long black hair reached his waist; there were strands of golden hair among the black - they looked like fine strands of real gold adorned his hair. He wore a gold nose ring, and several earrings adorned his ears. 

He wore white pants that were loose around his hips and tapered down all the way to his ankles. The black coat he wore had gold embroidery all over it. It was unbuttoned completely, and showed off his lean muscular chest, all the way down to his low waist pants. 

Her breath hitched as she was reminded of her dreams weeks ago; it felt like a lifetime ago when she had dreamt of the dragon and the man. The man had worn something so similar to what the Prince was wearing. The Prince, however, had darker-toned skin and black hair while the man in her dream had lighter, almost pale skin and silver hair. 

Aija blushed as the Prince stood right in front of her, and she was distracted from her thoughts of her dream. He was tall like all Ytai. He was stunning, and he had the same regal air about himself as Princess Ruyanir did. There was royalty written all over him. 

"You two stay here tonight." Prince Irih' va said his eyes only on Aija. 

The accent of his language pulled through even in CommLang, but it made it sound all the more beautiful. 

She felt his gaze on her and grew conscious of it. 

"Thank you," Ze, who was next to her, replied. 

Prince Irih' va asked a guard to show them to their rooms. 

On their way out, Aija looked back once at the three Ytai standing at one corner of the room. Nala was uninterested, looking out the big windows lost in thought. The Ytai men had their eyes on her; Luka looking rather relieved, Thieron looking angry. 

****

Unable to sleep, Aija rolled over on the bed for a long time. The bed was soft and comfortable, but she found herself awake, mind overflowing with thoughts. 

The Prince had offered her and Ze lunch and dinner in their rooms, and Aija had been thankful that she didn't have to see the three Ytai. At some point in the day – it was hard to figure out the time in a place of full-time darkness – Nala had brought her bag and left it in the room without a word as Aija looked on. 

Aija had long given up hope of returning home to her family, to Zuri, to Quinn. There was no going back to her old life. She was going to spend the rest of her days with Thieron. She better make the time worthwhile. The Harvest was stopped that day thanks to the Princess – or was it the Prince who had done it? But they had enough to use the Àvo apparently. She would have to stop them. Ze could help too; he was stuck with them as well, after all. She just didn't know how to stop them. 

She sat up straight, annoyed. She kicked at the blanket, it fell off the bed. She made her way around the house; all the lights were off. Everyone must be sleeping. There were guards at almost every corner of the house, and they watched her with interest as she made her way out of it. Thankfully none of them stopped her. 

She walked to the back of the house to the ocean and found the Prince sitting on of the boulders. She stood at a distance, looking at him. He was facing away from her, his hair tied up in a bun just like hers. He seemed so strong and regal even from the back. 

He turned around and looked at her as if he knew she was there. He motioned for her to join him on the huge stone next to the one he sat on. 

She sat next to him, giving enough distance between them. Prince Irih' va took the responsibility to close the gap and moved very close to her, so much so, she felt his coat brush against her skin and the warmth of his body radiating onto her. 

They sat in silence, looking out at the ocean. He was still in the same clothes as earlier. 

"Aija Rao-Oshiro," he said, his deep voice cradling her name. 

She frowned at him. She certainly hadn't introduced herself to him, nor had she told Thieron and the other two Ytai, her full name. 

He smiled, deciphering her thoughts. "I know a lot of things." his voice was husky as he looked down at her. She was tiny next to him. 

"Why not kill Thieron?" she asked, unable to stop herself. "That's the best way to stop him from killing humans instead of stopping just one Harvest." 

Prince Irih' va smiled. "I'm rather fond of Ah'n." 

"He's a killer; a murderer," she argued. 

The Prince only smiled as if he knew something she didn't. He adjusted himself so that he was now facing her entirely. Aija felt the warmth creep from her cheeks to her neck under his stare. 

He took her right wrist in his hands. His skin was smooth, soft. His touch was feathery as he traced the black line with his fingers and then the rune. A tingle passed through her, where his skin touched hers. 

"Ah'n is terribly strong," he whispered. "Not all bonds are visible like this one, Aija Rao-Oshiro. There are some bound by just words. Ah'n is bound in such a way to his duty." 

She frowned; Thieron bound by words? To whom? To what duty? 

The Prince looked into her eyes. His amber eyes seemed to glow. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek, lightly tracing her jaw. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, nearly bursting with the feeling, the anticipation for more. 

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. 

She felt herself blush. "Not as much as you."

The Prince smiled, and she glanced at his full lips. 

"You are beautiful in your own way. Of course, you're no diamond." 

She scoffed and looked to the ocean. 

"You've not been cut to reflect others light." he continued lifting her chin to make her look at him. She looked into his shining amber eyes. "You are ember, carved from fire. You glow from within. Unleash your storm; start a wildfire." 

Aija had no words. He had truly rendered her speechless. 

He let her go and removed the clip he had used to tie his hair. It tumbled across his shoulders, down to his waist. He plucked a strand of the golden hair, looped it around her right wrist, and tied it. 

"This will protect you from all bad things that'll reach you." his voice was low. "Do not remove this. No one but you and I can. The one on your left wrist isn't for you; you will have to part with it. But this is for you." 

She looked at the strand of golden hair around her wrist, next to the thin black line of the bond. 

"Is this real gold?" 

Prince Irih' va laughed. "No, it's my hair. Hair of royals is given to someone as protection as they are believed to be blessed by the Gods and Spirits." 

She looked at him; his eyes still held laughter. 

She now knew the purpose of Princess Ruyanir's hair. It was to protect Goldstar, whoever he was. 

"And now you and Goldstar both will have the hair of Royals. You already have a mark left by a Savage." The Prince said. 

Whoever this Goldstar was, he was well known by these royals. And well respected. 

"You have golden hair," she said, looking at the strand of gold around her wrist. "All I have is white hair." 

The Prince studied her, his eyes going all over her face as his fingers reached for her hair. He touched it gently and smiled. "You have four." 

She nodded, pouting despite herself. The last thing she was to be doing was to be complaining to a Prince about her white hair. 

He laughed. "Where I come from, white hair is considered a blessing. The younger you are when you have white hair, the wiser you are; the more blessed you are. You will do great things. I have only one you have four. And you're very young." 

His words eased her a little. 

"Why do you like Thieron, when you are against killing humans?" 

The Prince put a hand on her cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip. "Thieron and I, we've known each other a long time," he revealed. "And, I can't involve myself in the course of things. Ah'n is good at heart. I must let things happen as they must. Everyone makes mistakes. There's more to him than meets the eye. Why do you think he tried to Harvest a soul in the afternoon when he knew everyone would be awake? He also knew I was here and that I wouldn't allow it. Put the pieces together, Aija." 

Aija looked into his amber eyes, searching for what she, herself, didn't understand. Thieron wasn't good at heart; he couldn't be and voluntarily kill people. Perhaps she was waiting for Prince Irih' va to deny that. 

"He wants to use the Àvo to destroy the human race and take over Earth." 

"Alton Ivar wants to do it. Ah'n is caught in the midst of it all." Prince Irih' va countered. 

Aija huffed, and the Prince smiled. 

"I told you - Ah'n is bound to his duty. And, you don't even know him. All things aren't black and white, Aija. There are grey areas in life. You have the pieces; you only need to put them together seamlessly. One day you will know." 

She turned away from him. No amount of convincing would work. The Prince would still like Ah'n; Aija would still hate Thieron. 

She watched the waves crashing onto the land. The sound was pleasing, calming. She was well aware of the Prince's eyes on her. 

"Why do they need human souls for the Àvo?" she questioned instead. At least this would be useful information. Etrie had told her about the Àvo, but in as little detail as possible. 

"The Àvo is just a device. It can work both ways – to create or destroy. It works on intent." he said, sitting straight. "Creating – it's complicated. You would need at least four Od' ro In'ealk – Priority souls. Destroying, on the other hand, is much easier. The Àvo were created with the help of the Ro'ein – the Protectors of the Universe, to be able to create liveable worlds and to save worlds. Saving worlds is easy like destroying worlds – because there is something already there to work with. 

"But the Àvo has only been used to destroy until now; destroy planets and whole civilizations. It needs souls of the race it's meant to destroy or save. The souls are of high energy, suitable for the purpose." 

"But doesn't it mean that to create as well it needs souls?" 

"Yes, but few willing souls are sufficient – the most powerful ones only, which is also why no one has created anything as of yet. I told you it all works on intent. Àvo were designed to create, and someone found out that if it could create, it could also destroy – but it needed souls too. And destroying was easier – one doesn't really need a self-sacrificing Od' ro In'ealk. 

"Even one Od' ro In'ealk can change the balance just purely based on intent. I guess it was the Ro'ein's way of ensuring a power balance. These Priority souls hold maximum power, and they can bend the Àvo to their intent. It is why the Ytai seek the Od' ro In'ealk for creating a power imbalance – to do things to their will." 

Aija frowned. It was confusing. The Ro'ein ensured Od' ro In'ealk to create a power balance, and the Ytai seek it to create a power imbalance. It was crazy, and she couldn't fully comprehend what it meant. 

"How does it work?" she needed to know whatever information she could get out of him. 

The Prince smiled. "Suppose there are only five hundred Àvo souls and one Priority soul. If the five hundred are used with the intent to destroy, the Priority soul can change the Àvo to instead save the entire planet or civilization. It's all in the intent, especially of the Priority Souls. But, there's a catch." 

Aija raised her brows in question. 

"The Priority soul must give up their soul willingly. You can't forcefully take their souls. They must readily give it to you." 

Thieron's words echoed in her mind. 'I got that strong soul tonight, not by force, but by his willingness. Do you know how rare it is to get one like that? Do you know how desperately that soul was needed?' 

It was from the night they had Harvested Xan. Does that mean Xan is a Priority soul? 

"Do you know if Thieron has a Priority soul?" she asked, the new thought disturbing her further. 

"Not one." The Prince said. "But two." 

Two? Then Xan surely was one of them. 

"Just remember this, Aija," Prince Irih' va said, leaning into her again his long hair brushed her knee. "The Àvo works on intent. It can be used to restore a planet to its former glory too." 

"I don't know how to do it." she felt bad. She stared at her shoes. Her ankle had started to tingle with pain. The salve's effect must be wearing off. 

The Prince lifted her chin. "You don't need to," he said. "You already do." 

She pulled out of his hold, feeling warm all over; she couldn't let herself feel this way. She was stuck with Thieron - she would be used to destroy the human race. She wasn't even a Priority soul. Her intent wouldn't work. 

"You are a strong girl." Prince Irih' va told her. "You have great things to do." 

"Did my white hair tell you that?" 

The Prince grinned. He was handsome, beautifully so. 

As was Thieron. 

She stiffened as soon as the thought went through her mind. 

"I want you by my side. Always." The Prince whispered, the red in his cheeks deepening. 

Aija's heart pounded against her chest. What was this feeling? 

It sounded nice, though, to be with the Prince. But, she had a job to do, now, to save her people. She hadn't come upon that decision very easily. She always wanted to go back home. But her family wasn't safe anymore. It wouldn't make sense for her to go back home and leave her family and planet in danger and live with the knowledge. She had the opportunity to stop Thieron – Ah'n or whoever else he was. She would make use of this opportunity well. 

"I need you to know that I want you to choose me," he said, his voice husky. "Whatever you may choose, though, I'll accept it." 

She nodded, not fully understanding what he meant. 

"Aija," he whispered, sounding hurried. "I can help you escape the Ytai." 

Aija's heart raced. Really? He would do that for me? 

 "But," he continued and her she felt dejected, of course, there was a 'but' involved, "on one condition. You must go with me to Ierne. You don't have to give me an answer right now. You can choose to stay or go with me. It's your choice. Think about it. On the day of the Ker'zan, I will send you help. You can decide to take it or not." 

"But what's the Ker'zan? How will I know who's come to help?" 

"You will know when the time comes," he whispered. 

Aija was confused. Why would he want to help her? Why did he want her to go with him to Ierne? How would she know who's come to help her? She liked the idea of escaping the Ytai, but did she want to? 

 He cupped her face in his hands and leaned in towards her. She felt her heart go crazy again. His eyes were gorgeous. She noticed that they were dark brown near the pupil, and it radiated out into amber - almost a shade of gold. Just like most Ytai, he had two-toned eyes. 

But, wasn't he Ierne? He looked so much Ytèan that it had slipped from her mind that he was from an entirely different planet than Ytèan. 

"Oh, how badly I want to take you back to Ierne with me, right now," he whispered and kissed her on her head. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat carried on the air, louder than the crashing waves. 

The Prince let her go, and they turned to find Thieron. 

"Ah'n..." Prince Irih' va said smiling, unsurprised. 

Thieron looked angry. He had changed into jogger-pants and a V-neck tee, revealing his strong collar bone. 

"Irih' va," Thieron mumbled under his breath. "We leave early in the morning – whatever passes as a morning in this place." 

"You could stay longer, old friend." 

"We can't." Thieron declared. "She must rest before we leave." 

Since when did Thieron care for her well-being? 

"Yes, she must." Prince Irih' va said with a smile. He seemed unruffled even though Thieron was speaking in a manner that would have disturbed anyone by now. 

Thieron took Aija by her hand and dragged her back towards the house. She looked back at the Prince, who smiled at her and nodded once. 

"Let go!" she yelled at Thieron. 

He only held Aija tighter as he dragged her into the house. The guards stared at them but gave way. He pulled her to the room, pushed her to the wall, and leaned into her. 

"You don't go anywhere without me letting you," he growled furiously. 

"I was right here. I didn't try to escape," Aija said, equally angry. 

"Even to Irih' va," he growled, lifting her chin to make her look at him. 

He had removed the lenses, showing off his beautiful mismatched eyes. He let her go. 

"Don't infuriate me," he warned her backing, and his eyes fell to her wrists. 

He lifted Aija's right hand and looked more carefully at the strand of golden hair around her wrist. 

He looked like he'd been betrayed. The hurt was evident in his eyes. He looked at her, his anger morphing into something else. 

He left, leaving Aija gasping for air as she tried to soothe her pounding heart.

✽✽✽

END OF PART TWO