Castyr's jaw clenched when he watched Kilo walk out of the room and away from sight. As soon as Castyr perceived Kilo to be far enough away, he clutched his chest and fell to one knee. The star gasped as he released the breath he had been holding and felt the pain fully. Castyr's vision blurred while the pain increased in his chest and traveled to his head. Castyr released a groan as he gripped the sides of his head and struggled to steady his swirling vision.

The star's breath got caught in his throat as pain assaulted his entire body. Tremors shot through Castyr, and he fought to stay conscious. He had been experiencing these sudden attacks since he woke from his coma, but they had only grown more intense and frequent as the days passed by.

Kilo, who had stopped just outside the door, came rushing back into the room when he heard the star's strained pants. Kilo immediately began channeling energy into the star, and his heart ached when he saw Castyr's pained expression. Silence filled the space around the angel and star while Castyr's pain gradually resided and his vision cleared. "Are you okay?" Kilo asked softly as Castyr caught his breath.

Castyr nodded in silent response when his breathing had slowed. Kilo remained quiet as the star moved out of his arms and sat still while he recovered from the painful episode. Castyr endured horrifying nightmares each night, waking up in cold sweats with memories of pain, fear, and heartache. And during the day, the star would be battered with fits of paralyzing pain. As the days passed, Kilo saw more and more affliction and hardiness in the star's expression.

"Your body is still adjusting to the darkness inside of you," Kilos told Castyr as he watched the star recover from the episode. Castyr was silent for a long while, his chest rising and falling slowly, until he asked quietly, "Will it get better?"

"Over time," Kilo answered in encouragement. "We can refine your energy to keep the darkness in check." Castyr nodded in agreement. He was open to any options on how to minimize the pain of the episodes. "Have you refined your energy before?" Kilo inquired as he gently began patting the star's back.

Castyr nodded. "I cultivated a lot in Ithyos."

"That's good. It will make the process easier," Kilo responded. "You can use some of my energy to help with the refinement. It will be best to use as much light energy as possible."

"Thank you."

"I've helped you refine once already, so it should not be too difficult to use my energy to cultivate."

Castyr answered with a nod of his head, grateful that Kilo was willing to help him mitigate the darkness swirling within him.

<<<<<>>>>>

"What happened after I fell?"

Kilo looked at the star who was sitting on the sofa in the living room with a solemn expression. Castyr had remained fairly silent since recovering from his latest episode, so Kilo was relieved to hear the star speak...even if it was about that dreadful night when he thought he had lost Castyr forever. Kilo took a deep breath before slowly answering, "Everyone disappeared...the king, all the demons, everything...except us."

"Including Denzyl?" Castyr knew that his abilities were specifically for eliminating demons, so he was unsure whether Denzyl had been spared from his blast of light. Castyr nodded in relief when Kilo responded, "Denzyl was spared."

"Is Ilios really...?" Castyr stopped short when inquiring about his mentor. This was the first time Castyr had asked about that day and what had happened, and Kilo did not want to hide anything from the star, so he nodded in confirmation.

"Ilios is gone."

"And Rae?"

Kilo let out a breath before answering, "Rae is fulfilling Ilios' last wish."

The star nodded in response before inquiring about the demon-human couple.

"As far as I know, Denzyl and Devyn are on Earth running Vaumyr and Co. together," Kilo answered, unaware of the most recent events regarding the couple. "And I'm sure Denzyl has already dealt with Devyn's fiancé."

Castyr nodded before asking about Miren. Kilo then took the time to tell him about the human helping them get to Mythos. "Orion is working on becoming Aklys' liaison with Heaven," Kilo informed Castyr when asked about the blue-haired angel.

"I hope things work out for them. They've been through a lot." Castyr's voice was low as he wished for the angel-demon couple's well-being, but Kilo was just glad that Castyr was talking even if he could barely hear him.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. They've been fighting to be together for centuries. And now that Aklys is running Hades, they are free," Kilo said in his best attempt to assure Castyr that the couple would be fine. But Castyr knew what the heavens were capable of and hoped they would be left alone. "As long as Heaven doesn't mess with them-"

The couple's conversation was stopped abruptly when the alarm system to the residence activated and rapid pounding sounded on the door. The angel and star rose to their feet and slowly advanced to the door. Kilo drew his sword while Castyr readied the gun he had picked from the house's safe. Kilo activated the screen when a voice called his name from outside the door.

Kilo's brow furrowed when he recognized the voice. The angel quickly opened the door as the frazzled visitor began inputting the entrance code.

"Kilo!" Devyn's head snapped up as the door was opened. The angel and star stared at the human in shock until Kilo asked, "Devyn, what happened?" The human was fatigued but frantic for something.

"Remember our deal?" Devyn wasted no time in confronting the angel. Kilo nodded. "I need your help."

"What is it?"

"It's Denzyl..." Devyn began, his eyes hard with determination and tinted with fear. "He's been taken."

The End
Thanks for Reading <3
Written by WeiDao 維道