Kilo stumbled out of the craft, holding the man in his arms tightly as he slowly walked across the landing pad stationed to the right of a low and long, luxurious residence. Following the winding sidewalk connecting the pad to the residence, Kilo shifted the man in his arms to drape over his back and shoulders as he approached the house. The angel quickly entered a code into the screen positioned on the wall next to the dark, wide door. The locks to the door clicked, and the door became ajar with three beeps.

Kilo managed to swing the door wider with his foot before swiftly entering while the door automatically closed behind him. Sensing movement, lights flickered on, indirectly lighting the residence in a warm glow. The setting sun could be seen through the tall, wide windows which provided perfect views of the beautiful landscape of Mythos. Two steps led down to the common area eight feet in front of the angel where three sofas were positioned in a U-formation with a low table stationed in the center. A modern kitchen stocked with all the necessities for cooking a luxurious meal sat to Kilo's right while a corridor that led to guest rooms and baths was to the angel's right while a long hallway leading to the master bedroom and study resided to his left.

After taking a few glances at his surroundings and making sure the house was safe and unoccupied, Kilo started down the hall to his right. After bypassing two guest rooms and a few storage closets, the angel arrived at the room at the end of the hall. The setting sun cast the room in a golden glow, while the motion-sensed, indirect lighting complemented the warm glow, making a very homey and safe environment for the two whose only longing was to live together peacefully.

Kilo carefully laid Castyr on the soft bed before searching for the command switches. After finding a screen in the wall beside the bedroom door, Kilo activated it, turned off the lights, and lowered the white shades over the windows. Even without lighting, the room remained in a low, warm glow, making Kilo relax as he walked over to the bed and joined his star in slumber.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

Kilo and Castyr remained in the bed consumed by the energy bubble for four days, only leaving for occasional baths and when Kilo felt hungry.

Kilo woke with the fifth sunrise and was met with a beautiful sight. The energy bubble surrounding Castyr sparkled in the morning sunlight, projecting beautiful patterns on the star. A soft smile came to Kilo's lips as he looked at his star fondly, unaware of the small tear escaping his eye. Oh, how he longed for Castyr to open his eyes and gaze at him with his bright smile.

Castyr had remained stable the past four days, so Kilo had a chance to search for the screen that controlled the commands and other features of the house. Finding the screen in the study down the opposing hallway, Kilo set the protection perimeter around the house to alert him if any movement was detected. Once the security measures had been set, Kilo quickly returned to his star, making sure he did not leave for too long of a time.

Night came slowly for the angel. Kilo returned both Castyr and himself to bed after grabbing himself something to eat. Even though the angel was not too hungry, he knew he needed to eat to upkeep his strength, so he could put more energy into the cycle. Kilo kissed Castyr on the top of the head before pulling his star in and putting his body in the mode to keep the cycle going while he got some shut-eye.

...

...

"Kilo...Kilo!"

The angel jerked awake when he heard Castyr's voice. It took a few moments for the angel to calibrate his surroundings. He was in a dark void; it seemed to be endless.

"Kilo!" The cry sounded once more in the distance.

"Castyr?!!" Kilo called as he began to dash madly toward the direction of the cry. "Castyr!"

Small whimpers sounded when the angel neared the source of the cry. Kilo slowed when he saw a curled-up body lying in the darkness.

"Castyr...?" Kilo quickly approached the body. The angel ran around the body, dropping to his knees when he saw his star's face. Kilo rested the star in his lap as he called his name, "Castyr!"

Castyr unconsciously grabbed onto Kilo as he cried out in pain. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were parted in agony. A little moan escaped the star's lips while he fought the pain swarming inside of him. Tears swelled in Kilo's eyes as he watched his star sweat in torment. The angel tried to activate his energy cycle, but it was to no avail.

What is this place? Is this Castyr's subconscious? Has he been in this torment for all this time? Kilo swiveled his head to look at his surroundings. It was pitch black with not a single soul in sight.

Sounds of whispering and screeching emerged from the darkness and surrounded the angel and star. Kilo turned his head to see hundreds of twisting cords of black energy racing toward the two. Kilo protected Castyr with his body, but the cords still managed to wrap themselves around the star.

"Castyr!" Kilo fumbled to keep a hold of the star as Castyr was lifted above his head. Castyr let out a cry as he floated in the center of the cords. The star was completely still except for his face as it twisted in pain and agony when the cords tightened themselves around his body.

A shining, silver light was quick to enter the abyss and race toward its star. Kilo watched with glistening eyes as Castyr's energy quickly joined the dark cords in swarming around the star and canceled out most of the black cords.

So this is what Adelle meant. Castyr is fighting to not be devoured by the darkness and to bring both the light and dark to be in harmony with each other. Kilo's hands clenched when he realized what Castyr was going through at that moment. The angel immediately began to think of a solution to the star's pain. But Castyr is weak because he has been fighting for weeks. He does not have much energy left. I need to do something. I need to-...Wait...if Castyr was able to pull me into his subconscious, then there must be something that I can do. He would not pull me in to watch him die. There is a reason I am here.

Unsure of whether it would work but certain he must try, Kilo closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. The angel took a deep breath and released the energy in his body. The purple energy rushed toward the star and began aiding the silver energy in balancing out the darkness. Kilo's breathing became strained while he fought the darkness enshrouding his star. Tears filled the angel's eyes as a scream ripped from Castyr's throat.

Castyr's face was filled with pain while the three energies swirled around him. Tears streamed down Kilo's chin as he shut his eyes and sent one more surge of his energy to aid the star. The angel felt a release when his and the star's energy succeeded in calming the darkness.

Kilo heaved a sigh when he watched Castyr's body relax, but as soon as the light and dark reached harmony, all of the energy suddenly rushed inside the star's body. Once Castyr had absorbed the entirety of the energy, an explosion of every color sparked from the star, filling the void with light and warmth. Kilo gazed in awe as Castyr's body went limp and continued to float in the colorful expanse. The void became incredibly still as the fallen star mastered the darkness swarming within him.

Rest now, Castyr.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

With a deep breath, Castyr opened his eyes for the first time since his sacrifice in Hades. The first rays of light seeped through the shaded windows aiding the star in absorbing his surroundings. Becoming aware of the warmth of a body and the weight of an arm draped over his waist, Castyr turned his head to see an angel sleeping next to him. The star smiled and flipped onto his side, reaching out to move a loose strand of hair out of the angel's face. But his hand stopped just short of the strand and, instead, traveled down to Kilo's cheek where a tear stain marked Kilo's soft skin.

The star's smile faded when he noticed several other stains running down the angel's face and that Kilo's brows were furrowed. Castyr's hand finished moving the strand gently before he rose onto his elbow and lovingly kissed the angel on the forehead. Kilo took a deep breath as he woke, opening his purple eyes slowly, only for them to snap open when he saw the sky-dark, star-filled eyes of his love.

"Castyr!" Kilo smiled as he took his star into his arms. Castyr smiled brightly and gave a small, happy laugh. "How...how do you feel? Are you...are you in any pain?" Kilo asked between excited breaths when he brought his star to arms' length so he could look at Castyr properly.

"I'm fine," Castyr croaked out. The star took a moment to clear his throat; he had not spoken for several weeks. The star's brows instantly furrowed when he heard Kilo's strained breathing and pale face. "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you so pale?" Castyr asked with worry when he reached out and held the angel's cheek.

"I'm fine," Kilo assured, taking Castyr's hand and bringing it down to his lap to hold.

"No, you're not fine. You can't even speak properly," Castyr said in disagreement.

Kilo smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll be back to normal in no time." Kilo refrained from telling Castyr why he was weak because Castyr did not appear to have any memory of Kilo entering his subconscious and helping him stabilize the energy running rampant through his body.

Knowing he would not be able to get Kilo to tell him what happened, Castyr reluctantly nodded and took time to look around at his surroundings. "Where are we?" The star inquired after a few moments.

Kilo smiled at his curious star and answered, "Mythos."

"Mythos?"

Kilo nodded. "Devyn is letting us stay here until you get better."

"Better?" Castyr crinkled his brows in confusion. "Why would I need to get better?"

Kilo looked at the star intently before asking, "Castyr, do you remember what happened in Hades?"

Castyr shook his head, his face falling.

"Do you remember anything?" Kilo's heart dropped when Castyr shook his head. Darkness filled the room as Castyr began to fade away. Devastation entered Kilo while he watched the star disappear. The angel reached out to try to hold on to his star, but it was to no avail. Castyr was gone...again.

Kilo sat up drastically, gasping for air. His chest was covered with sweat, and his breathing was strained. The angel tilted his head back and closed his eyes in relief. It was just a dream. The sound of soft breathing caught the angel's attention. Kilo steadied his heaving chest before turning to see eyes staring back at him. The angel's breath hitched when he saw the eyes of his love.

Is this another dream? Oh, how Kilo wished this was real. Bracing for the end of another dream, the angel reached out and gently cupped his star's cheek. When the dream did not end, Kilo's heart began to pound. This is real. Castyr is awake! Overjoyed, Kilo brought the star into his arms.

"You're awake," the angel cried softly as he held his star, his fingers wrapping in those soft, silver locks.

The real nightmare set in when Castyr did not hug Kilo back. He merely stayed still with a blank expression, neither hating nor loving Kilo's embrace.