•Blaine•

"What do you mean an Umbra was in someone's body?"

My gaze flickered between Azure and Cerise incredulously, confident that the bewilderment I was feeling was fully on display.

They exchanged an uncertain glance. Azure shifted in his seat and Cerise ran a hand through her dark hair, all the while neither met my gaze. That didn't make me feel super good about the already dark situation. Why were they being so aloof? Didn't they want to tackle this head on?

The three of us were sitting at the dining table in my house. My mother was currently flying back from Japan and I was thankful she wasn't around at the moment. If she was, it'd take her about two seconds to sense the unease crawling through me.

"And who?" I demanded, "Someone from school?"

Cerise nodded, "Yea. He was tall, curly hair, lengthy, basketball player."

"I think his name might be Jacob," Azure added, "Friend of yours, right?"

"Right," I huffed, a heavy feeling of dread settling in my stomach, "Is he...ok now?"

"He's fine," Azure assured hesitantly. "We were able to rid him of the Umbra in the same way you defeat a regular Umbra."

My stomach lurched at the image of them stabbing Jacob through the heart. When did Jacob get...attacked? How was an Umbra even able to take over his body? The idea was making an anxious pit swell in my chest.

"I wasn't even aware this was possible," I looked to the two Celestials across from me, hoping for some answers to alleviate the worry running rampant.

Cerise pulled her lower lip between her teeth and bit contemplatively. Her amber eyes glinted with something cautious as she cast a sideways glance at Azure beside her. To my surprise he looked similarly confounded, meeting her gaze with a reflected uncertainty.

They turned away from each other abruptly, and it was then I realized what was so strange about them. I wouldn't quite call it fear, but it was definitely something akin to it. Both Azure and Cerise, for the first time since I'd met them, appeared almost afraid.

It was a discouraging look on them.

"Well that's the thing," Cerise began with a small huff, "We weren't aware it was possible either."

"What do you mean?" I pressed, ignoring the panic that was festering, "What do you guys...so you haven't...you don't know how this happened?"

Azure's shoulders dropped slightly, "We've never seen this before, so no we don't." His blue orbs that were usually so confident and certain, swirled with thoughts of the unknown. Even his tone, held a regretful uncertainty rather than his usual sureness.

I stared at the two. My eyes flitting between them. It terrified me that this was new territory for the two people I looked to for all things Akaian. But they'd managed to defeat this Umbra, and Jacob was supposedly ok. So we had a direction to go in.

As much as it made my stomach churn, I needed to know how it went down. I needed to be prepared to face this myself.

"How did you know how to defeat the Umbra and save Jacob?" I asked curiously.

Azure and Cerise stiffened. If I hadn't been looking at them so intently for answers I may not have noticed it, but it stood out incredibly clear then.

Cerise folded her arms over herself, amber eyes slowly lifting to meet mine. Her gaze was guarded, but it was also pointed- not backing down in the slightest.

"We didn't."

I blinked at her blankly, my mind processing what she'd revealed...and then my blood went cold.

I felt my eyes narrow in warning as anger began to stoke inside me.

"You didn't know your sword wouldn't kill him?" I spoke through gritted teeth, "You just took a gamble?"

"I did," Cerise asserted calmly.

Her calmness on the matter seemed to make the anger in me flare. I knew these people meant very little to her, but they meant the world to me. To see her toss my friend's life aside so flippantly made my blood burn.

"Did you even feel remorse over your decision?" I snarled at her, "Or did it take nothing to risk his life?"

"Blain-" Azure tried to interject, but I wasn't in the mood for peace.

"You just stabbed him!" I growled, "Not knowing the outcome!"

"Yes, Blaine!" Cerise shot back. Although her face was calm, her eyes were alight with determination. "I didn't know the outcome. I didn't know if stabbing the Umbra would kill Jacob as well- just like I didn't know if the Umbra possessing him would eventually take his life if it stayed."

"Humans aren't made to encounter this magic," she hissed, "There's no telling what prolonged invasion could do. I also knew the Umbra wouldn't give up on getting to you. He'd use your friend until he was stopped. I made a call. I'm prepared to live with it."

I felt the frustration in me simmer the slightest bit, but I hated this.

I thought of all my friends at school, who were now in danger of being possessed by these horrible creatures. I couldn't help the slight guilt I felt rising in my chest. These things were after me. I was putting people at risk.

Perhaps that's why I was seeing red.

"Why don't we focus on how to combat this?" Azure suggested after a moment, "It seems this Umbra problem needs to be taken care of fast, which means Blaine's training is our starting point."

I felt my frustration coming back in waves as I slouched back into my seat. There was only so much progress I could make in the time we had.

"Is there anyway to speed up this training process?" I posed helplessly.

Cerise shook her head, "Training takes time. There's not much we can do besides be diligent about teaching you at every opportunity."

I let out a long sigh. Things were happening too fast and I didn't have time to play catch up.

"There is one way," Azure spoke suddenly. 

He sent a sharp glance to Cerise and rose a brow expectantly. She threw him a questioning stare back. 

"What way?" She asked cautiously.

After a moment she seemed to understand what he was getting at, because her eyes widened and her lips set in a thin line.

"No," her voice was like steel. She let out a bitter laugh, "There's no way-"

"Think about it," Azure interjected, turning his body to face hers. "Blaine would be able to see first hand how it all works. He would gain a better understanding, and be able to establish a quick connection with his crystal. Training him would be a breeze."

I didn't know what 'way' they were talking about, but it sounded good to me. This was what we needed.

"No," Cerise said again sharply. "I'm not doing it."

Azure sighed and his shoulders slumped, but he didn't relent on his insistent gaze, "Look this is for Blaine's benefit. We're safe here. I'm not going to try anything, it doesn't have to be a big deal."

I looked curiously between the two. What was this mysterious 'way'.

"You know what?" Cerise suddenly smirked, "If it's not that big a deal, then you do it. I'll just observe, we both don't have to do it."

Azure tensed slightly and his blue eyes narrowed, "No."

Cerise's amber orbs danced in satisfaction.

"See," She jeered. "Not so easy to say yes, when you think about it like that."

Azure shook his head, and crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking her stance, "It's not the same thing. Don't act like it's the same thing."

Cerise shrugged, "Close enough."

"What is it?" I asked, drawing their attention.

Both their eyes shot to me and Cerise let out a sigh. She then gestured to me indicating for Azure to explain. He rolled his eyes at her, but turned to me nonetheless. Azure cleared his throat, folding his hands on the dining table.

"You know how the crystal, that gives you your abilities, is part of your heart?"

I nodded, "Yea and if you remove it, it kills the host, or if the crystal is not awakened it can be given to someone else."

"Right." Azure then glanced at Cerise, who just shook her head as if to say 'the answer is still no.'

"Well there is a way to remove a Celestial's crystal without killing them," Azure continued. "If the Celestial themself performs a ritual that safely removes the crystal from their heart. It's not permanent but it allows one to see the matrix of their crystal and gain a better understanding on how it works."

"Ok," I nodded. I knew there was likely some sort of price, but I couldn't afford to wait for my training to be complete. "I'll do it."

Cerise scoffed, "You can't do it."

I furrowed my brows at her. She still had her arms crossed, and was faced slightly away from Azure. Cerise offered no more information on the subject.

"What does she mean?" I asked Azure.

He leaned forward on the table, "You are still very new to using your crystal. If you performed this ritual there's a good chance it would kill you. Cerise and I could combine our powers and perform it on you though..."

My eyes flitted to Cerise, who still wore a scowl. I rose an intrigued brow.

"Why don't you want to do it?"

Cerise turned to me, her amber eyes regarding me intently. She appeared to be groaning internally, but she didn't dismiss me. She begrudgingly uncrossed her arms, leaning forward on the table as well.

"Performing this ritual makes us very..." She paused searching for the right word, "Vulnerable. It requires a tremendous amount of our power, even if Azure and I were to combine our forces. We'd be unable to use our powers for at least a day after the ritual."

So they were worried about being vulnerable?

It made sense that Cerise didn't want to do it. I imagined she was the type of person that hated being vulnerable. But then Azure said he wouldn't do this alone. Was he afraid that Cerise would take this opportunity to kill him? Whatever it was, there was no time for their deadly rivalry.

"You both agreed that taking care of the Umbra here would take precedent over your war," I pointed out determinedly.

"Our distrust isn't the only issue," Cerise said. "If that was the problem, one of us could just leave the premise to stop the temptation of murdering the other."

Azure looked at the small brunette, he gave her a sideways glance that was painted in disbelief. 

"Believe it or not Cerise, but I don't think you would actually take the chance to kill me." 

His expression changed into something snide, his mouth turning up in a smirk. "And not just because you view me as useful or see our partnership as advantageous."

Cerise gave a divisive scoff, "And that's why you refuse to do the ritual alone? Because you believe I won't hurt you?"

"I won't do it because of Onyx and Loden."

That caught Cerise's attention. She turned to Azure sharply, her amber eyes were narrowed as she regarded him carefully.

"What do they have to do with it?"

"If you report to Onyx that I can't use my abilities, he'll send Loden to take me out," Azure explained calmly. Although he was calm, I noticed there was something like a test in the way he spoke.

His eyes were trained on the Lunar, gaging her reaction intently.

"You don't know that!" Cerise defended quickly. 

Azure raised his hands in surrender, "Fine. Maybe Onyx wouldn't. But say he did and I did the ritual alone. Are you telling me you would defend me against Loden?"

Cerise opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She froze, clearly conflicted. Her gaze then dropped from Azure's.

She closed her mouth and although she didn't verbally respond, she seemed to lean back in resignation crossing her arms once more. But even so, there was nothing short of a storm in her amber irises.

I found myself wondering what was going on in her head. Glancing at Azure I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to fight in this war- the alliances and the conflict. What was it like to be Solar or Lunar?

Azure hadn't taken his eyes off of Cerise. He regarded her a moment longer, before he seemed to accept her unspoken answer. His expression didn't change, and he didn't appear surprised- but somehow I got the feeling he wasn't entirely pleased by her 'response.'

"That's why I won't do it," Azure said lowly.

Cerise didn't respond, but her eyes flickered up to his.

As I glanced between the two I knew something had changed. The tension that seemed to constantly hang around them when they bickered had shifted. It wasn't less or more palpable, it was simply different maybe even deeper.

But what happened?

Whatever it was, it's not what I wanted to focus on right now. 

"Wait," I said steering the conversation back to the ritual. "If you're not worried about killing each other, why can't you both do the ritual?"

"Well like Cerise said, we would be depleted of our powers for about a day," Azure answered turning to me.

"We wouldn't be able to protect ourselves from the Umbra, and we couldn't protect you Blaine," Cerise stated. "There'd be no healing, expediting...or contacting of superiors."

I rose a brow in surprise. So they would literally be out of commission.

"We would fall into a deep sleep for a couple hours and then be extremely weak for the rest of the day," Azure elaborated. "You probably shouldn't go to school either as we couldn't accompany you."

I still had no qualms about doing this. My mother wouldn't be back here in the next twenty four hours so Azure and Cerise's presence wouldn't be a problem or my lack of school attendance. I needed this jumpstart. The lives of the people I cared about were hanging in the balance. If I could do anything to improve their safety, I would do it. I didn't want another Jacob risk.

"I will do whatever it takes to keep my friends and family safe," I stated firmly, my gaze falling to Cerise, "They're vulnerable, and right now I can't protect them. You may be willing to take risks with these people, but I'm not."

And I never would be.

Cerise's expression was carefully blank, but I could see the wheels turning in her head.

Azure gave me a small nod, "And I'd like nothing more than to help minimize that risk." He assured, blue eyes than trailing to the Lunar beside him.

Her arms were still crossed, but there was slight consideration molding its way into her amber expression. I couldn't be sure, but it seemed like resignation settled in her irises after a moment.

"Fine," she muttered. "If it will...minimize future risks, so be it."

I felt slight surprise run through me. It almost seemed as if she were relenting on account of her earlier risk. I had half a mind to point it out to be sure, but then decided I better not give her any reason to take it back.

Instead I gave her an imperceptible nod, "Thank you."

•••

I sat patiently in the living room, as I watched Azure and Cerise discuss the next steps for this ritual. My fingers lightly tapping on my knee in a staccato like rhythm.

I couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but for some reason my whole body was beginning to flood with nerves. They explained that while I wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of fatigue, since they were performing the ritual, this would still be a trying trial. It wasn't going to be necessarily painful, but it was likely to be intense.

They also mentioned that they couldn't give a specific run down of what I'd encounter. Venturing into one's crystal was a wholly unique experience, specific to the crystal holder. The fear of the unknown was starting to resonate with me. I couldn't really mentally prepare for something I didn't know I'd face.

My eyes went back to the two warriors, I forced my hands to remain still as I tried to listen to their conversation.

Azure began to explain something, but was quickly interrupted by a jab and a scowl from Cerise. She glowered and proceeded to tell him that she knew how this worked, so he could take his instructions and stick it where the sun don't shine.

Azure gave her a small glare, to which she just rose a challenging brow.

He crossed his arms, staring her down. She crossed her arms, not wavering her gaze for a second.

After a moment they both wrenched their gazes from one another, glowering in opposite directions.

Again something was different.

I completely understood why people might think they were a couple. One: they were always together, two: they argued like a married couple, and three: they had this heavy tension around them all the time.

That probably came from the fact that they were enemies fighting a war, however I couldn't help but notice the attraction between them. It seemed to always be there, underlying their outward insults and teasing.

I suddenly wondered if something happened between them. The idea seemed ridiculous, but at the same time entirely possible. I couldn't picture them in any sort of romantic setting. The image kept becoming violent or goading. Still, I supposed something could've occurred.

Cerise turned to me, disrupting my train of thought, "You're up Blaine, time to begin."

I took a breath and stood up from my place on the couch, "Ok what should I do?"

Azure and Cerise both took a step back, making room for me to stand between them.

"Stand here," Azure gestured to the new space.  "Cerise and I are going to draw your crystal out from your body. We'll be deep in the ritual so you won't be able to communicate with us when we begin."

I felt slight trepidation rise in my chest. Somehow knowing that I would be seeing my own crystal, without direct instruction from Azure or Cerise, terrified me.

"How will I know what to do?" 

"All you'll need to do is touch your crystal." 

Cerise then gestured to the space between her and Azure again. I bracingly stepped in between them.

"Don't worry, you'll know what to do after that. You just need to trust yourself and your instincts," she gave me an encouraging look or her version of encouraging.

"You can do it," Azure nodded confidently. "I wouldn't have suggested the ritual, if I didn't think you could handle it."

Their confidence in me was reassuring. I took another breath, and thought about all the reasons I needed to do this. My mom, Philip, Max, my team, Natalie and Hazel- in fact, Eva too. I needed to do this for everyone at school and in this town.

I would protect them no matter the cost.

"I'm ready," I breathed glancing at the two.

"Good luck Blaine," Azure smiled.

"Don't screw it up," Cerise chimed in.

My eyes widened, and I looked to Cerise in alarm. I could screw this up? I didn't realize this whole process was something I could fail. What would happen if I did?

"She's kidding," Azure assured, his tone held a slight edge as he looked at the Lunar across from him.

"Fine take all the fun out of it," Cerise sighed before her expression sobered, "You got this."

I felt my body relax as I took in the hint of amusement in her eyes, "Thanks."

Azure and Cerise then looked at each other.

"Ready?" He asked her.

Cerise nodded, "Let's do this."

They both closed their eyes and lifted their hands. Azure and Cerise went completely still as they stepped into the ritual. 

A silence was dispelled over us.

Red potent light began to emit from Cerise. It was vigorous and quick. The color would darken, and then brighten: combining and manifesting together. 

Blue light was emerging from Azure. There was an intensity to it. It was benevolent and powerful: the color was brightening and running around Azure like a river.

At first, the two colors remained separated. They then began circling me, and slowly they began to mold together into one force. 

The fierceness of the red and the tenacity of the blue.

I could feel the strength of their energy, like it was physically touching me. 

The energy circled me faster and faster. 

As the light continued to circle me, the speed still increasing, I felt a strong tingling in my chest. It was relentless and overwhelming. My chest felt like it was vibrating intensely. 

This continued for about a minute, and then suddenly I felt like my breath was stolen from me. 

I let out a desperate gasp and closed my eyes due to the brightness of the light. I felt something tug against my heart and the light flashed with an audible shroom.

When I opened my eyes, a large yellow crystal waded before me. It was magnificent. It glowed with strength and radiated power.

It was mine.

I couldn't believe it was a part of me. I couldn't believe that it had been all my life, and I just didn't know it. I felt my hand instinctively twitch towards it. I allowed myself to reach out towards the glimmering crystal and laid my hand softly on the cool gem.

As soon as I did, my vision was filled with shades of yellow.

Then everything went black, and I felt myself float into the darkness.

•••

Thank you to those sticking around to read...it's about to get real :)

Hope you enjoyed today's chapter, we're fast approaching a turning point in the story. Until next time...

As ever, Berly