"This.... t-this isn't possible....!"

"Of course it's possible, baby brother. We're Aldrothians, anything is possible with us."

Zane stared in disbelief at what he was seeing. No, this had to all be some bad dream. It couldn't have been time for Garroth to awaken again, it just couldn't be. Not when everything was just starting to get better.

"I can't express how much I've missed being free." Garroth sighed, brushing some of his golden hair from his face. "It's truly relieving. Such a shame the other Realms might lose theirs."

Zane pursed his lips, knowing from past experience it was best to stay quiet. He crossed his arms, turning his head to look out one of the windows. He began to zone out, no longer hearing what the other Aldrothian Deities were saying. But, to be honest, he didn't exactly care for what they had to say. He may be an Aldrothian Deity himself, but he had just about had it with all of their bull--

"Zane, why don't you show our dear brother around?" Moira suggested, snatching Zane from his thoughts. "There have been some renovations around."

"What renovations?" Zane asked, blinking with a dumbfounded expression.

"Oh, right, you were too busy sunbathing in your mother's Plane." She sneered, giving him a nasty glare. "Honestly, how lazy and pathetic are you?"

"Now now Moira, there's no need to make our baby brother feel bad." Garroth told her, putting a wing around her. "It's not his fault he's nowhere near as capable as any of us."

"You're absolutely right, Alduin!" Khaalida exclaimed from one of the many sofas, holding a glass of wine in one of her clawed hands. "It's that filthy halo he has, it's blocking his true potential! Such a shame he gave up his true potential for that Divine Warrior woman... what was her name again?"

"Aphmau. Aphmau the Realm Protector." Di, the twin sibling of Khaalida, answered her twin with a smile. "Or did you mean Lady Irene the Matron?"

"Why not both?" Moira cut in, as Zane reached up and touched his halo softly, self-conciously.

Zane let out a quiet sigh, turning to leave the grand hall. His relatives always did this. They talked about him, both behind his back and in front of him, like he wasn't even there. The only ones who had any respect for him were the ones younger than he was, due to their whole social class and age class complex.

"Where are you going, Zane?" Di called out to him, making him the center of attention again.

Zane managed to keep his calm as he turned around, looking right at her. He had to admit, Di was probably the nicest one to him. Garroth could be nice to him sometimes, but that was only if he did what he was told. And most of those things involved hurting others, even if it wasn't directly. Because of this, Zane hardly did anything Garroth told him to. He still had the marks from the last time...

"I think his halo looks nice." Di defended him, closing her book. "Besides, I'd be tired of having blood red skin and soulless black eyes too if I was him."

Zane knew Di meant well with what she would say whenever she defended him, but it still hurt sometimes. This didn't make him any less self-concious, if anything it only made him even more aware of his looks. He curled his tail around one of his legs, folding his wings against his back even more. He couldn't help other than compare himself to his relatives, especially ones like Di. He looked up at his older sister, taking in her looks and appearance.

Her olive skin, undamaged with no signs of ever being harmed. Her long platinum blonde hair, curled at the ends with a braid in the back. Her soft, innocent blue eyes full of understanding thoughtfulness, but also seclusion. A long white gown that glowed in the light, with white feathers around the shoulders and a long cloak of rippling silk. High heeled slippers of white diamonds, with white feathers at the toes and ankles. A necklace of the whitest pearls, with a cross at the end. A golden crown, with white diamonds and pearls. Short gloves of white silk and feathers, covering only her hands. A pair of the second whitest Angel wings he had ever see, radiating both purity and holiness. A golden halo shone above her head, signifying her personality and powers, as well as the overall goodness of her being.

But not even Di or his mother could compare to the purity and holiness of Aphmau.

"Well, I do believe it is time we see these renovations... wouldn't you agree, baby brother?" Garroth grinned at him, but it was far from the friendly grins that he had missed so dearly.

Zane still stayed quiet, knowing that his say wouldn't make a difference. Di gave him a small smile, a look of pity and a sympathetic apology in her eyes. He looked down, crossing his arms over the black cross on the front of his attire.

"Not going to put up a fight?" Khaalida teased him, smirking to the point her fangs showed. "That means he agrees."

"Come along, baby brother." Garroth cleared his throat, approaching Zane.

Time seemed to start slowing down with each step Garroth took, getting closer and closer to him with each one. The malicious stares of his relatives were closing in around him, practically crushing him with all the pressure. Garroth gave him another grin, his white Wyvern fangs showing, with small stains of blood on them.

"We have some catching up to do."

~~~~

"So, Zane, how are your maidens?"

Zane looked over his shoulder, glaring behind him at his older brother. The blonde Aldrothian Deity simply gave him a smile, blinking as though he were oblivious to Zane's clear discomfort. It was just like old times, then. Garroth never did care if Zane was uncomfortable in a situation or not, unless it was one that involved a romantic relationship of some sort.

"They are doing just fine." Zane huffed, tossing his head and walking faster.

"No need to be so defensive about it, unless..." Garroth trailed off, smirking at him. "You got one of them pregnant."

"Oh please, I'm not that low, unlike you." He shot at him, his tail lashing in clear anger. "My maidens are here to serve me, not be my little toys."

"What do you mean 'unlike me'?" He demanded, crossing his arms. "I don't have any maidens."

"Jeez, I wonder why in all of Aldroth no one wouood want to be your maiden!" He dramatically gasped, rolling his eye.

"Keep pushing your luck, baby brother." He growled in a low voice, the thin slits of his eyes thinning even more.

The two brothers continued to walk in silence, at this point doing whatever they could to maintain a "stable" bond between them. Garroth kept trying to communicate with Zane, while Zane wanted nothing to do with him. Things weren't always like this, though. Back in their younger days, they were practically the best of friends, even if they were brothers. But... then Garroth started to remember about Aldroth, and then he met them...

Zane looked at his palm, where a tiny scar had once been. It had been like their own "do-it-yourself friendship bracelet". They had slit their palms using daggers, then let them heal into scars. It was meant to symbolize their brotherly relationship, a friendship that would never end. That was no longer the case.

"I still have mine." Garroth smiled, holding up his hand so Zane could see.

Zane sighed, showing Garroth his palm. His scar was gone, and smoothed over by his pale white skin. A new expression washed over Garroth's face, this one of hurt. He looked at Zane with a pained look, like he couldn't believe Zane had gotten rid of the scar.

"Mother and father removed it." Zane defended himself, pulling his sleeve back over his hand. "I had no say in the matter, but you should already know that."

"Yes...." Garroth slowly replied, relieved that Zane hadn't gotten the scar removed out of his own free will. "So... about these 'renovations'..."

"I'm as clueless as you are." He quickly replied, shrugging. "It's probably just their bedrooms again, or something just as pointless. Just be thankful there isn't a whole holiday for each renovation."

"Ugh, even you would get tired of all the sweets." He groaned, his Wyvern tail flicking. "And we all know how you get when you start to complain. It's like you're on a period."

"You're one to talk, Mr. I-Throw-A-Temper-Tantrum-Every-Time-Things-Don't-Go-My-Way." He spat at him, giving him a glare. "We all know how much of a spoiled brat you are, Garroth."

"Hmp..." He pouted, looking out the window.

Garroth let out a short gasp, before darting past Zane and leaping from the stairwell ahead of them. Zane stumbled a bit, before chasing after his older brother. He didn't want to be following the tyrannical Aldrothian, but he had to make sure he didn't do anything that would be stupid.

Zane soared after his brother through the vast hallways and corridors, where some of his maidens were playing a game of chess. They let out small shrieks and dropped to the ground as Garroth zipped past them overhead, dropping their cards and potentially ruining their current game. Zane shouted a quick apology to them, chasing after his brother.

Garroth made numerous turns through the palace, shooting up spiraling and normal staircases. Zane followed in tow, but he was beginning to run out of breath. He nearly collapsed onto the polished floor multiple times, and nearly knocked over a few of the servants.

"Where are you going!?" Zane called after his brother, although he had a fairly good idea of where he was going.

Garroth didn't answer him. Niflheim, Zane wasn't even sure if Garroth heard him. He panted as he chased after the older Aldrothian Deity, until his wings gave out entirely. The raven haired Deity crashed onto the ground, a screeching sound echoing as his cheek and body slid across it.

He groaned as he pushed himself up, rubbing his cheek with the sleeve of his clothes. When he pulled away, he could see a black stain on the white cloth. He pressed his hand to his cheek, wincing as his fingers made contact with the fresh wound. He pulled his hand away, seeing the black liquid known as his blood on his fingertips. He groaned at the pain, assuming the skin had been scrapped off as he slid across the ground.

"Where in the hell did he go?" Zane asked himself under his breath, starting to walk.

Deciding his walking pace wasn't fast enough, he used his levitation powers to speed up the process. He was capable of running, yes, but he wasn't much faster when running. That and he did tend to have breathing difficulties after doing so.

Zane searched around for what seemed like thirty minutes before he gave up, now walking across the polished floors. He had used some of his magic to speed up the healing process, and one of his maidens had stopped his search so she could bandage him up.

"Lord Zane? You seem... troubled." One of his maidens addressed him, a look of concern in her eyes.

"Ah... Okiku... I'm fine.." Zane sighed, addressing the maiden by her name.

"Famous last words, my Lord." Okiku pursed her lips, touching his cheek gently. "What happened? Did Garroth hit you?"

"No, no he didn't." He answered, shaking his head. "My wings gave out, and I believe I scrapped my cheek against the floor while sliding."

"Believable.." She sighed, pulling her hand away. "I assume you're looking for him now?"

"Yes... I need to make sure he isn't doing anything stupid." He nodded, closing his eye. "I fear I've miscalculated... I thought there was more time before he would rise up again..."

"I can send out the warning letters by tonight, Zane. They'll reach the others, I'm sure of it." She reassured him, trying to give him some hope. "But that's not what you're most worried about right now. I'm fairly certain that Garroth went to his room."

Zane immediately caught onto the way she said that. Shhe had put a clear emphasis on "his". That could only mean...

The raven haired Aldrothian Deity wasn't even aware of it, but his feet were pounding against the polished floors of the palace. He didn't acknowledge the possible consequences of running, he didn't care at the moment. If they were having the same idea about which room Garroth went to, that could only mean one or two things.

Either A, Garroth was missing this person terribly.

Or B, Garroth was about to go on a massacre in a random Realm of his choosing.

Zane was running through the vast hallways and corridors, absent mindedly pushing aside servants. The interior walls of the palace were decorated by precious jewels and stones, as well as silk tapestries depicting the elements or the Aldrothian Deities. There were tapestries depicting the Aldrothian Personifications, but thise tapestries were in another section of a palace, this one being more reserved and private.

He skidded to a stop as he neared one door, one he could easily recognize. He wasn't sure how he hadn't thought of this location sooner, this bedroom chamber meant more to Garroth than half of the stuff in all of the Realms. It was his room, after all.

Zane carefully stepped through the open doorway, where the black metal doors had been broken down. The palace servants would fix them later, but it still unlike Garroth to break these doors down.

The floor of this room was made of polished End Stone, an extremely difficult formula to master. A circular rug of soft silks and animal fur covered a majority of the floor, but not all of it. There was a set of glass doors that led out onto a balcony, which had a small table and a chair. A chandelier of precious metals hung from the ceiling, decorated by jewels and stones. A canopy bed was placed in the center of the room, covered in dark purple sheets with dark green pillows, a dark red blanket, and dark purple curtains. There was a walk in closet, which harbored clothes of all sorts. On the wall was a silver mirror, decorated with deep blue sapphires. There was a small black metal cabinet, which contained contents, and a metal picture frame on top. However, the picture frame was empty. Placed next to the empty picture frame was a velvet pillow, which had nothing on it..

Garroth had had this bedroom chamber made sure this room was well taken care of, even when he wasn't around. He had taken a lot of time to design the decor of it, and he didn't want it being messy. He had told the occupant of this bedroom that they could make changes any time they desired to, but they never did.

Zane nearly froze as he spotted Garroth, standing before the bed. In one hand he was clutching the picture from the frame, which looked like it had been torn in half multiple times. In the other hand, he was grasping a crown of black metal, decorated with precious jewels and an extremely small Ender Crystal.

"So tell me, baby brother...." Garroth began, a dark tone to his voice.

Zane could feel his heartbeat getting slower and slower as Garroth turned around, rather slowly at that. He could feel a pit in his stomach forming, and cold sweat forming on his forehead and backside. His tail stopped swaying, stiffening like a stick. He folded his wings even closer to himself, to the point where they were starting to hurt from being so pressed together. His breathing came to a halt as his eye widened, although he technically didn't need to breath in the first place, but it did help him feel more... human... just like a certain person he knew well...

There was no sign of friendliness on Garroth's face as he turned around, only a cold harshness. His blue-green reptile eyes were dulled, and the thin slits were thinner than he had ever seen. His locks of golden hair were casting shadows over his face, and a sickening smile was on his face. His arms were shaking, his tail flicking all too calmly to be anywhere near so.

Oh, he. Was. Pissed.

"Where is my fiance?" Garroth asked him, placing the torn picture and crown down as he stepped closer to Zane.

Zane was speechless. He was struggling to breathe, to find the right words. Both he and Garroth knew the answer to it, but Garroth wanted Zane to say it. To admit he had let it happen. In just a few seconds, Garroth had one of his hands around Zane's neck, the cold metal of his gauntlets squeezing and crushing his throat.

"I'm going to ask you one more time nicely..." He began to laugh, lifting Zane against the wall.

"I.... I-I......" Zane choked, his face turning paler and a blue-purple from the cut off of normal blood circulation.

"Where. Is. My. Laurance!?"