Ithyos was silent. Even the city below offered no release from the silence. The respective lights for security were on, but other than that, the residence was pitch black. Kilo's feet made soft padding sounds as he walked up to a side door of the residence.

Kilo drew the gun provided by Devyn from his thigh as he opened the door and entered his star's home. After scanning his surroundings, Kilo crossed the wide room and entered the corridor at the opposing end. The sounds of footsteps reached Kilo's ears when he came to the end of the corridor. Sticking to the wall, Kilo held his breath as a guard walked past the mouth of the hallway.

The angel's eyes trailed the guard while he scanned the male's physique. Hmph. Too short.

After the guard rounded a corner, Kilo exited the corridor and continued. He quickly entered a walkway to find himself behind another guard.

Hm. He'll do.

Quickly walking up behind the guard, Kilo rendered the man unconscious before dragging him into an empty room. When Kilo exited the room a few minutes later, he was dressed as the guard, making his search easier. The angel walked down the walkway confidently as he maneuvered through the residence.

Okay, let's find the generator.

Being the guardian angel of Ithyos' star, Kilo knew the residence like the back of his hand. Thus, it did not take Kilo long to make his way to the center of the residence and find the atrium where Castyr and he used to relax. Following the circular corridor surrounding the atrium, Kilo came upon a door leading to a set of stairs.

Descending the stairs brought Kilo to the energy generator. A railed walkway extending from the inner side of the wall of the generator surrounded the sphere of light. Kilo came to a standstill as he stood in the glassed-in corridor surrounding the generator. Looking through the glass and into the generator, Kilo was able to make out a body floating in the center of the light sphere.

"Castyr."

Upon seeing his star, Kilo took a step towards the door leading into the generator but stopped almost immediately. A man stood in front of the glass looking at the sphere. His blonde hair touched the nape of his neck, and he was dressed in the uniform of a major with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Kilo questioned in a deep voice. Whomever this man was, Kilo was not fond of finding someone else within Castyr's residence. 

"I was wondering when you would come...Kilo." A smirk appeared on the man's lips as he turned to face the guardian.

Kilo took in a sharp breath when he saw the man's honey-brown eyes. "Lennox." Kilo's brows crinkled in confusion. "W-why are you here?"

"Oh, come on, Kilo. You aren't that dumb," Lennox taunted with an eye roll.

Lennox was transferred to another city after Castyr and Kilo had fallen fifty years ago. The two had not seen each other since the day Lennox had come and asked Kilo to help him service an incoming ambassador. So why was Lennox back in Ithyos? Kilo clenched his fists when the only explanation came to mind.

"You're the mole," Kilo growled.

"There you go," Lennox smirked with satisfaction when the realization dawned on the guardian.

"Why? Why did you do it? They could have killed Castyr!" Rage boiled in Kilo's veins. Because of Lennox, Castyr had been pursued by Hades nonstop and nearly taken at the Transport Tower all those years ago. Even now, the star had not had a single day where he was free from the threat of Hades.

"You mean Marc? Tsh," Lennox gave another eye roll. "It's a pity he didn't pull through. That's when I thought Hades could do a better job. Didn't think they would let him live, either." Lennox turned toward the light sphere and looked at Castyr being held in its center. "Guess I'll just have to finish him myself."

Kilo stormed over to Lennox and held him by the collar. Kilo brought his face close to Lennox's and stared into his friend's eyes, searching for the boy he grew up beside and trained with. Instead, all Kilo saw were eyes filled with hatred and betrayal. Wait...why is he looking at me like that? Kilo loosened his grip and moved to take a step back, but Lennox grabbed his wrist and kept Kilo close.

"So this is what it takes...for you to look at me."

Kilo furrowed his brows. "Lennox..."

The blonde looked up at Kilo while keeping the guardian close to him. His eyes were wet but still bore through Kilo with hate.

"You asked why. Why I did everything. Why I let the traffickers in. Why I sold you out to Hades. It's because you were always with him!" Lennox tightened his grip around Kilo's wrist as his chest rose and fell rapidly. "You wouldn't even look at me anymore."

Kilo stared at the blonde angel, baffled. How could I not have known? Kilo was oblivious to Lennox's feelings.

"I was hoping that if Castyr was no longer here, you would...you would come back to me."

"Go back to you?" Kilo nearly scoffed at the absurdity. "Lennox, I was never with you." As much as Kilo regretted not knowing Lennox's feelings back then, he had never felt such a way. 

Lennox glared up at Kilo and clenched his teeth before pushing the guardian back with a yell. The blonde drew his sword while Kilo steadied himself.

"Then I'll just have to make you come to me," Lennox growled as he readied his sword.

Realizing there would be no negotiating with Lennox, Kilo reached down to grab the gun strapped to his thigh only to find it missing.

"I have been waiting for this moment for years. Did you really think I would let you fight me with a gun?" Kilo looked back up to see Lennox twirling the gun in his hand. "No, this is going to be just you and me like how we were before." Lennox's voice was deep and dark as he crumpled the gun.

Using Lennox's attention on him and the gun as a distraction, Kilo sneaked a glance at Castyr to make sure his star was still alright. With Castyr's instability, Kilo could not keep his gaze off the star for more than a few minutes at a time.

"Tsh. Are you seriously looking at him right now?!" Lennox yelled and banged his fist on the glass.

In response to Lennox's shout, Kilo drew Ymir and prepared for his attack. But instead, the blonde jumped through the glass. Kilo's eyes widened when he realized Lennox's target was Castyr. Running, Kilo leaped through the broken barrier, spreading his wings when he reached Lennox. Lennox whirled around and slashed at Kilo, his wings spread. Kilo managed to evade Lennox's swipe and engaged him in sword-to-sword combat.

Kilo brought Lennox down to the walkway lining the generator and drew him away from Castyr. "Stop this, Lennox!" Kilo called out, giving the angel a chance to put an end to their struggle.

Lennox released a growl and charged with hard determination in response. The two's swords clashed, sending a wave of shock and light throughout the generator. It was not often that two angels' swords clashed in combat.

Lennox looked at the source of the generator at the bottom of the basin before looking up at the light sphere. He used his sword to push Kilo away and leaped from the walkway. Kilo pursued Lennox and met him at the generator's source. If Lennox turned off the source, the light sphere would fade back into the reservoir and Castyr would fall. If he destroyed it, the sphere would erupt, obliterating Ithyos and sustaining damage to the city.

Kilo blocked Lennox's sword from striking the generator's source, but by this time, the two were surrounded by Ithyos' guards. The walkway above and the outer corridor were filled with soldiers. Red dots of target lasers floated over Lennox and Kilo's bodies.

"Drop your weapons!" A leading guard ordered.

Kilo kept Ymir between Lennox's sword and the source of the generator. Making sure he kept a steady amount of pressure against Lennox's blade, Kilo addressed the surrounding soldiers. "I am Star Castyr's Guardian! Major Lennox was in league with Vitrius and leaked confidential information to Hades!"

For a moment, the majority of the red dots moved to Lennox, but the blonde was quick to interfere. "I am Major Lennox, loyal soldier to the Heavens! I caught this man trying to kidnap Star Castyr!! I need your help to stop him and save Ithyos' star!!"

Kilo's eyes hardened when Lennox attempted to manipulate the guards, but he scoffed internally when he realized the half-truth behind Lennox's retort. Well, he is partially right. I am here to take Castyr out of Ithyos, but if I fail, Lennox will certainly find a way to kill Castyr.

"Lennox! Stop this!!" Kilo pleaded one last time, hoping to come to a truce.

The guardian's hopes were crushed when Lennox's lips curled into an evil smirk. The blonde released his sword from its path to the generator and shoved his foot into Kilo's chest, kicking Kilo away from the source.

"Soldiers of Ithyos! Save Star Castyr! Kill this traitorous angel!!" Lennox bellowed.

Kilo watched as the soldiers above adjusted their aim, and nearly all the red dots were floating over his body. "Lennox," Kilo growled in a warning.

Any affection Kilo had once had for his friend no longer remained. He was ready to kill.

Lennox noticed the change in Kilo's eyes and faltered for a split second. Kilo took that split second and slashed Ymir across Lennox's chest. The wound was not fatal since Lennox was able to back up at the last moment; it was just enough to save his life. With Kilo's strike, the soldiers opened fire. Kilo maneuvered to be behind Lennox and used him as a shield. As expected, the guards ceased their fire for fear of harming their commanding officer.

Lennox whipped around, his sword ready to be painted with blood. Kilo evaded his strike but did not realize how close he was to the generator's source. With Kilo's evasion, Lennox's blade collided with the source, creating a crack. Knowing the source was now unstable, Kilo turned from Lennox and spread his wings. He had to get to Castyr.

As soon as Kilo left Lennox, the soldiers once again opened fire. Kilo was able to evade most of the bullets, but a few of them found his wings and body. The bullets stopped when Kilo reached Castyr. It would not do if Ithyos' star was harmed. Kilo put away his sword and gently took his star in his arms, resting Castyr's head against his chest.

"So you want to fly off with him again?! Very well! Let's all fly off together, then!!" Lennox yelled as he began striking the generator's source wildly. Madness consumed Lennox when he realized Kilo would only ever choose Castyr.

Seeing Lennox trying to destroy the source, the soldiers diverted their aim to the major, hoping to stop him from blowing them into smithereens. Kilo took this time to teleport to the corridor surrounding the generator. From there, Kilo teleported himself and Castyr to the space station, wanting to get Castyr as far from the residence as possible even if it meant using all his energy in the massive teleportation.

The angel instantly fell to one knee as he teleported inside the space station. A fierce rumble shook the station causing the people around Kilo to gasp and shake in fear. Kilo immediately covered the star in his arms with his body and wrapped his wings around his love as a blast of light and energy swept through the station. The building trembled as columns and walls cracked and faltered.

As soon as the light passed, Kilo unwrapped his wings and checked on Castyr. The star was still unconscious, much to Kilo's relief. The angel held the star close to his body as he stood to his feet and began running. Using the chaos from the station becoming structurally unstable, Kilo ran to the branch of the station that hosted the military crafts. The hangar was empty since the soldiers had gone to assess the situation and help get citizens to safety. Kilo hurried to the nearest craft which could travel through deep space and entered a master code on the door's pad.

Kilo carried Castyr into the craft as soon as the door opened. After gently setting Castyr into the co-pilot's chair, Kilo situated himself in the pilot chair and closed the hatch. Cracks appeared in the walls of the hangar when the angel activated the power core and sent power to the thrusters.

Beams and support columns collapsed as the craft disembarked and maneuvered through the hangar. Chunks and shards fell in front of the craft; Kilo sharply turned the craft to the right to evade the falling debris causing the craft to head for the wall. As soon as the debris passed, the angel turned the craft back to the left and continued toward the mouth of the hangar.

The structure of the station became extremely unstable when the craft neared the exit. Walls collapsed all around, and a cloud of dust veiled the exit. Gritting his teeth and praying for the best, Kilo increased the power to the thrusters and flew into the cloud of dust.