"Let's take a break Thomas," Alex suggested as Thomas wobbled slowly beside him. "It looks like you could use a second to catch your breath. You know I could always give you a li-"

"I can take care of myself!" Thomas spat back at him between ragged breaths. "It's not safe here. If a Cantorian finds us out in the open like this, we won't have a chance!" His pace began to slow as his breaths began to come more in gasps.

Stopping casually, Alex turned and looked at Thomas with concern. "Look I don't disagree with you, but you don't have the strength you're used to! It's a side effect of almost dying. Trust me, I've died many a times, and each time I wake up, I feel sluggish. This is your first time, so I understand! I want to get to safety as badly as you do, but I don't want you to pass out on the way! We've been keeping this pace for almost three hours. The inn is just over that hill. We can afford a ten minute breather."

"Maybe, just a few minutes..." Thomas mumbled before collapsing to his knees. "The sprint to the bunker, seemed much shorter, when they were getting away from Sarthon."

Alex let out a little chuckle and squatted down beside Thomas and looked at him with a strange glint in his eyes. "You know Thomas. If I didn't know better, I could swear you kissed me back at the hilltop. I mean call me crazy, but I think you have some feelings for me that you aren't telling me about." 

A small gasp echoed through the chilly morning air, and Thomas's cheeks began to burn. "I don't know what you're talking about. You keep going on about, how you want me to do these things to me-"

 "So you decide to do them to me instead?" Alex interrupted with sly grin.

"No, yes, I don't know!" Thomas clenched his fingers together, frustration beginning to leak into his voice. "You're the first person who has ever been so blunt with their intentions. With regular people I can see they are trying to flirt, I play oblivious, we both move on. Like that innkeeper, he wanted me so badly he was willing to risk his life for me. What did he get for trying to defend me? Death, Sarthon killed him in cold blood." His voice began to shake as a vibrating tone began ringing in his ears. "My commander dead, my squad mates dead, the innkeeper dead, hell even you died for me! Why is it that those who care about me die?" The ringing in his ears began ringing louder, making Thomas clench his fingers tighter. 

"Surely not everybody who cared about you." Alex said in a soothing voice. "What about your parents? Where are they?"

The image of his parents bloody bodies lying lifeless on their bed made Thomas's voice grow cold. "Some psychopath with a knife decided to visit." Letting out a broken sob, a single tear began rolling down his cheek before freezing solid near his chin. "That bastard tied me up, and forced me to watch as my parents were carved like fucking pumpkins! Then when he was finished with them, he turned to me. 

Another tear began sliding down the frozen path of the first. Suddenly a warm hand touched Thomas's shoulder making him look up. Alex was looking at him with the same painful emotions. They were broken, and filled with grief. "You're not alone anymore Thomas. I understand what you're going through." 

"Do you!" Thomas spat back, his rage instantly replacing the grief. How would you know the first thing about what I've gone through?"

"Because I have to live with the fact that I came up with a way to save everybody in my life who I cared about on the day of their slaughter." Alex responded in a bitter voice. "I could have saved them all if I had been smarter. Instead I had to watch as they all died, knowing I would be the only one to come back."

Thomas looked up from the ground at Alex, frozen tears sticking to his face. "How did you get over the pain of losing them all?"

"You never do," Alex responded with a sigh. "You will feel the pain for your whole life. Loss, grief, anger, and all the other emotions that come with death. It all stays with you. The only thing you can do to lessen it is find somebody who helps you feel something else. You may have times when you remember just how bad it hurts; but that's when you need that other person the most." He falls silent for a moment and takes another breath before reaching towards Thomas and brushing his cheek, wiping the icy tears away. "And that person for me is you Thomas. When I'm with you, I forget all of the pain. You help me see that there is something worth fighting for in this world, and I will do everything in my power to protect that." Falling silent for a moment, they listen to crickets chirping in the early dawn as the sun begins to rise, casting long orange beams of light towards the world around them. "My hope is that you feel the same way as me."

Looking at Alex with surprise, Thomas had no idea how to respond to such a confession. Opening his mouth to speak, he paused remembering the dream he had conjured with the help of the magegod of the two of them laying in the grass. Instead he shut his mouth and nodded his head with a weak smile before leaning forward and resting his head against Alex's shoulder before softly kissing his neck. Alex let out a soft sigh of relief and put his hand out Thomas's shoulder, rubbing it affectionately. 'He's just using you. All he wants is your body!' A voice whispered out making Thomas pull away in fear.

"Did you say something?" Thomas mumbled with a shaky voice as the words repeated themselves in his mind. 

"I thought you did," replied Alex as he stood up and looked around cautiously. 

Thomas looked around as well, seeing nobody he looked back to Alex. "What was it you heard?"

"I thought you said you were only planning on using me, then killing me." 

"Why would I say something so evil?" Thomas exclaimed, the positive emotions faded away, and skepticism began to fester. "It sounded like you said you were just using me and wanted my body for a quick hookup." Alex looked at him in surprise. "Something is wrong,"

"Agreed, I think we should get going again." Alex said in a nervous tone as he rose to his feet and reached down to help Thomas stand. Their fingers lingering together as he stood for just a little longer than normal before they began walking towards the inn at a slightly faster pace. 

'Don't trust him, he let his comrades die. He had the power to save them, instead like a coward he drank all the potion and hid like a coward!' 

"That's not fair and you know it! You did everything you could!" Thomas growled as he turned his head and began glaring at Alex with distaste." 

"I didn't say anything!" Alex exclaimed as he continued walking forward. "Something is definitely wrong here. I think we should be under the assumption whatever we hear is from somebody or something else." Thomas nodded his head in agreement. "For now we just need to get to shelter. When we get to the inn we can talk again. For now let's remain silent."

The two began to walk up the hill towards the inn. The morning light had illuminated the larger portion of the sky. As the two trudged up the hill, Thomas let out a soft whimper that made Alex look over in concern. Thomas began focusing on the ground in front of him instead of speaking. The two walked in silence for a while before he let out another whimper. Alex's large warm hand brushed against Thomas's hand a few times before tenderly taking it in his own squeezing it affectionately. Thomas froze causing Alex to stop as well, he turned around to see tears falling down his cheeks. "Please teach me to control my powers. I don't want to hurt you, or anybody for that matter..."

Alex nodded his head and began slowly leading Thomas forward. "Of course baby. The first thing you have to do is be aware of magic and when it's affecting you. This is the first step to controlling your own magic. You need to focus, not on the words you hear, but where they are coming from. If you listen carefully you should be able to hear exactly where it's coming from. For now imagine a large blue circle around the words that keep coming in." Thomas nodded his head, and the two began going down the hill. "Now if you can see where the words are coming from, you should be able to stop the large bubble as it comes towards you."

Closing his eyes, Thomas began to focus on the words that assaulted his mind. The vibration in his fingers alerted Alex that Thomas's magic had been activated, but he held on regardless. "It's coming too fast, I can't see the words till they hit me!" 

"Then slow them down." Alex instructed with as much patience as he could manage. 

"How? They move too fast!" The vibrations began to increase, making Thomas shiver. "I can't slow it down. All it does is make the vibrations increase!"

Alex squeezed Thomas's hand tighter. "Listen to me, you need to focus the vibrations on the words. You see it as a shaking feeling in your body right? Imagine that shaking as a pulse. You are radiating magic in waves. You need to slow the pulses before you can focus on the other powers."

The vibration in his body began shaking his eyesight, soon Thomas began to feel queasy. "I-I can't! They are going to fast!" He pulled his hand from Alex's in panic. Immediately after the vibrations intensified to levels that made him panic. "Run!" He cried out to Alex as the waves began to manifest as silver waves. "I can't control them-"

"Yes you can!" Alex yelled out, reaching forward towards Thomas. "You were given this power for a reason. Now slow down the pulses, or you are going to kill me!" 

The thought of Alex's body on the grass beside him sent shivers down his spine. Soon pain began blooming around his body. His head ached, his legs went numb, and his fingers felt as if they were on fire. "Please Alex, run while you still can!" He cried out as the silver waves began to ruffle the ground around him.

"You can do this Thomas. I believe in you." Alex exclaimed as he took a careful step forward, then another till he was standing side by side with him. Leaning forward till his lips were beside Thomas's ear, he whispered as softly as he could. "I am your armor now Thomas, and I will never abandon you." Wrapping his arms around him, Alex kissed Thomas passionately. 

The pain in his head began to lessen, and the numbness began to fade in his legs. Pulling away from the kiss, Thomas focused on the silver waves of energy that were now emanating from his body. Focusing on the waves with all of his power was only enough to make them shake. Then the words of the Magegod echoed in his head. "Your master holds a deep place in your heart. That is good, hold that thought. Remember it when you doubt yourself." power flooded through him, and suddenly the waves began to slow.

"You can do this Thomas! Just slow down the waves!" Alex said encouragingly. 

The smell of the summer grass wafted in his nostrils, and Thomas focused on it. I can't lose control, otherwise I'll hurt the one I care about most! He thought to himself as the waves began to dissipate. Soon, the began to rise, and the warmth washed over him. Using what little power he had left to stop the waves that emanated from him. "I-I did it..." He managed to say before falling to the ground. Alex knelt down beside him immediately and squeezed him tightly.

"I knew you could do it!" Alex said with a wild grin.

Thomas scoffed lightly before his eyes began to close. I need, to train, much more, if I'm going, to protect you... 

--------------------------------------------------

Well that about wraps up this chapter! I am coming to a close on the book! I hope you are enjoy it so far! I know I am! I plan on writing another seven books in this series. Anyway, please drink some water and make sure to vote on the story if you liked it! :)

-Asted!