“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”

                                        --William Shakespeare

I woke up with a sudden jolt. My bed vibrated under my palms. The latticed shell lamps swayed from the ceiling.

The start brought me out of bed, but the aftereffects of whatever Luci put in the tea kicked in fast. I felt lightheaded as soon as my feet touched the floor, made worse by the tremors that shook the earth.

Staggering, I managed to reach the window. From there, I could see the tip of the three lodestones forming the Triangle protruding from redwood line. They were glowing fiercely, slowly rising up as if wanting to touch the sky.

Soon, as the Triangle stopped rising, the tremors also ceased.

Fighting the faintness, I stumbled out of the room and half-ran, half-scrambled to the garden. Every lodestone from every direction of the island emitted a recurring crystalline glow. It was as if they were alive. Breathing.

How long was I out?

Gray clouds loomed overhead, making it impossible to tell time.

On bare feet, I clambered up the hill leading to the wooden bridge.

My surroundings swayed and warped. It wasn’t long before I tripped, then slid a few feet down. I was so close to hitting a pile of construction pillars when my whole body was suddenly lifted off the ground. The neck of my robe strangled me as I was being pulled up from behind.

I struggled for air, trying to free myself from my killer clothes. But before I could do something really embarrassing like getting naked in public, I saw a giant pointy snout nip on the hem of my robe.

In a flash, the world was upside down. My head felt like it would explode with all my blood rushing towards it. Cerberus’ middle and left head sniffed me for a good five seconds before the snooty one tossed me in the air.

The scream barely made it out of my gullet before I landed on something warm and furry.

I gathered my bearings, a hand on my head as I sat up on what appeared to me as Cerberus’ back. Snubnose twisted his head over his shoulder and panted. Soon came the wagging. The tail didn’t show mercy on the newly-constructed gates.

“What’s happening?” I asked a scared farmer.

He answered shaking, trying so much to shrink behind a destroyed pillar. “Eldest has favored the Chief’s re-request. The Gate to Halo will open soon.”

There was no time to waste.

I gave Cerberus a pat. “Can you get me to the arena fast enough?”

He started bounding up the hill without further ado. I guessed that was a yes.

Cerberus sped between the cherry trees, reaching the lotus pond in less than a minute. He crossed the bridge in four lopes, not without demolishing the wooden handrails.

As we reached the wide open road to the arena, I saw the lodestones glow more fiercely. A column of blindingly white light shot from the tip of the Triangle, piercing through the clouds. The light pulsed and expanded, sweeping the whole island with a refraction of different colors.

A dark swirling hole had already appeared directly over the arena—the portal to Point Zero.

Cerberus stopped abruptly, his paws skidding against the gravelly road. Then all three heads howled to the skies as if in homage to the strange phenomenon.

“Come on, Cerberus!” I clicked my heels on his back. “We’re not going to get there in time!”

When it looked like he had no intention of moving, I took a deep breath before sliding down his back. I barely caught a clump of his fur before tumbling down a seven-foot drop.

My hip hit the ground first. The pain travelling down my thigh had me wishing I was still in Luci’s laboratory.

I wasted a lot of time getting up and more time hobbling to the arena’s entrance. As I got inside, the Point Zero was already getting smaller.

The smell of rust filled the air, making me queasy. Magic circles were smudged on the floor surrounded by strange glyphs all written in blood.

Now I know what the cows were for: ink.

Seven people stood beside the main lodestone—Levi, Vincent, Grigori and four more fisher folks. Together, they warily approached the dark vacuum.

“Vincent!” I shouted as I lurched into the entrance.

For a moment there, he gave me a fleeting look. He hesitated for a moment and said something. His voice got lost in the vacuum.

As soon as they all pressed their hands on the lodestone, Point Zero sucked them in. In half a heartbeat, they were all gone. All that was left were the enchanted glyphs retreating back into the very roots of the lodestones.

I practically threw myself to the center of the arena. I pressed my palm over the cold surface of tall rock. It wasn’t glowing anymore. The Gate had closed. Still, I just had to try.

As expected, nothing happened.

Blankly, I stared up at the Triangle, wishing it would just collapse over me and bring an end to all of this. In my frustration, I slammed my head against the lodestone.

The pain temporarily blinded me. It didn’t hurt as long as I wished it would.

“That ain’t gunna work, ya’ know.” I saw Belial from the corner of my eye.

“If you hit your head harder, perhaps,” added Luci.

A few people remained inside the arena. Hands up to the skies. Others kneeling. Didn’t know it was that exclusive. And I wasn’t even invited.

Sathariel stepped closer. “You should rest, Aramis.”

Not a word came out of my lips.

Despite Belial and Luci’s kind words of advice, I didn’t move a muscle, kneeling with my forehead pressed on the stone. I stayed that way until all of them had left.

By sunset, my legs were numb as stone.

I closed my eyes, wondering how many hours had passed, how many more would I have to wait before Vincent comes back.

Soon, I hoped.

I knew this was coming. Eventually, Vincent would go and try to save Vladimir. And no one would be able to stop him.

I just thought that maybe we could stay in Halja for a little longer. Live normally. Safely. Perhaps, without the constant threat of his father, I would finally see Vincent smile again like he used to smile for Adrianna.

Was I being selfish?

“How long do you plan on kneeling there, child?” It was Sathariel.

From the corner of my eye, I watched his feet approach me. I kept my silence.

Placing his hands behind him, he bent over me. “I see. If you so wish to pursue your master, I should like to be of assistance.”

Stunned, I lifted my head to see if he was kidding.

He twisted briskly and headed for the foyer, stopping only to glance back at me. “To your feet, child and be quick about it, before I change my mind.”

I struggled up as much as my deadened legs would allow. Thousands of tiny needles stabbed my limbs as I hobbled after Sathariel.

“I reckon you wonder why I opted to do this?” he finally said as we traversed the bridge.

He took a second looking at his reflection on the lily pond. Under the moonlight, his angular face was faultless, his eyes melting in a way very familiar to me. They were… smiling.

With irreverence, I nodded. “Ugh. Do all of you people read minds?”

“No,” replied he, walking ahead with his hands joined behind him. “I construe the years made us… quite perceptive.”

“Congratulations.”

He snickered quietly. “With that attitude, it is not difficult to get killed, child. Now I can imagine exactly why Vincent perturbs himself ridiculously over your welfare.”

“Yeah, right,” I groaned.

“For an Immortal to feel so strongly about a familiar is beyond my understanding. However, if you can be his anchor to this world, perhaps I should like to understand.” Sathariel’s silver eyes pierced painfully into me and into my soul. “That boy… had been through the worst of the worst; the sort that makes death seem as though it’s a Christmas present. The only reason he chose to live up to this very moment is because of you.”

“Me? That can’t be right.”

He stepped closer and stared me down. “You can’t possibly imagine living through every day of eternity bearing the pain of the past. Because for Immortals, there is no forgetting. It does not end. We only… contain. And as for Vincent, he is filled up to the brim. With the way he is shutting himself in, he is soon to break.”

“You don’t know him. So don’t talk like you do,” I answered, staring back.

“Oh, but I do. All those years, all I could do was watch over him. I think it’s only befitting this time that I perform my responsibilities.” He turned his back on me and with hurried steps, walked downhill.

I stumbled after him. “What do you mean?”

“Hurry now, child. Time is of the matter.”

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The song at the right is my new fave! So yeah, I think it goes well with what Aramis is experiencing right now. If you are still there reading this, I can not tell you how thankful I am!!! caramelled popcorn and oreos to everyone! I love love love you guys!