"Our wounds are often openings into the best and most beautiful parts of us."

- David Richo

~

KAITO

"So you're saying the night lasted less because of the Solar Eclipse?" Simba asks Pyros.

Pyros was courteous enough to join us after our meal, just to check on us. Unfortunately, Valerie, Rey, Zarren and Augustine had already left to go catch up on sleep.

"Yes," comes his deep rumbly voice, "And because of our victory today, we will finally be able to celebrate our Festival of the Glass Hearts this year."

Lia perks up next to me, "What's that?"

"Lovers craft glass hearts for their significant other as a symbol of their love and then there is a celebration with a feast and dancing. The portal to the next realm opens up three days after the eclipse every year. Would you like to join the celebration?"

"I don't know... We've just suffered a major loss, maybe we should sit this one out," Rachelle says, sipping some chamomile tea Simba had whipped up for her.

Augustus stands up from his place beside Lia, "Coral wanted us to celebrate life. I think we owe it to her to have a good time."

I nod at Augustus, "I agree. It may seem unconventional and insensitive but we cannot ignore her final words."

"I agree with Kai," Simba says with a weak smile, "Count us in."

"Tell me more about this festival," Minakshi asks with a smile. It feels good to see her finally smile again. I never observed this, but I would hold Minakshi, Simba, Mikaello and Augustus to keep the mood of the group up most of the time.

Pyros' wife answers this, "The Blazes are blessed with the perfect partners for a lifetime. We just have to find them. If one of the partners gives the other a glass heart and it shatters when the receiver holds it, then it's a confirmation that they are bound to be partners for life."

Simba points at Pyros and his wife, "So are you two..."

"It was the first heart he had ever given to a girl and it shattered as soon as I touched it," the wife says and I can imagine her smiling beneath that mask, "We got bound the next day."

"You mean married?" Lia asks.

"Yes," Pyros answers.

Minakshi seems to melt next to me, "That is so cute!"

"We were not able to celebrate the festival for decades because it was the perfect set up for the Cinders to adult our kind, but now that it's been dealt with, we can celebrate it again. All of you will be our guests of honour," Pyros' wife says excitedly.

"Are Fae blessed with such partners like us?" Pyros asks.

Rachelle speaks up, "Well we are, but it's very rare to actually find your soulmate."

Augustus just shakes his head, "I don't really believe in that bullshit."

"Me neither," I agree. It's a bit absurd, sitting and waiting for the perfect partner for centuries.

"Same here," Avalkyra says and...is she picking her teeth with a dagger?

"Well I believe in it," Minakshi says, "And I hope I find mine one day."

"Legend has it that soulmates don't even need words to communicate with each other, though I don't really know what it means," Simba says.

"And that they can see through each other's eyes," Lia says, with a dreamy look on her face.

I am done with this conversation, so I get up to go get some sleep myself.

"Kai! You don't want tea?" Simba asks, holding a teacup made of glass.

I shake my head and go inside while the rest talk about love.

~

In the middle of the night, I sit awake to the sound of thrashing. As my vision clears out, I see Zarren, flailing his hands around, twisting and thrashing in his cot.

I walk over to where he is sleeping and he starts speaking, "Ma, Ma no! No!"

"Zarren," I say and shake him a little to wake him up, but he just thrashes more.

"No! Please no!"

What kind of a monster of a mother did he have that she gives him nightmares?

"Zarren," I say a bit louder. We can't wake the others up.

"NO!"

The tent flap flies open and Augustus rushes in, holding a...spoon?

"What happened? I'll save you!" The golden winged boy shouts.

Zarren continues to thrash in the background, and now he's clutching his head with both his hands while his forehead gleams with sweat.

"Zarren is having a nightmare," I say with a sigh.

Augustus walks over to us and shakes Zarren violently, "Hey! Wake up bitch! We're trying to sleep here!"

And Zarren's eyes snap open.

And so does the tent flap because Mikaello has entered.

"What on earth are the four of you doing here in the middle of the night?" The blonde asks, looking at us suspiciously.

I ignore him and focus on Zarren, whose eyes have a certain vulnerability to them, and fear hiding inside as he looks around, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Nothing," I say to Mikaello, "You can go back to watching Rey sleep."

"I wasn't-"

"I saw you going in, you're sick," Augustus said with a grin.

"I was just going to check on Rachelle because of her wounds-"

"Keep telling yourself that," Gus says again, "Do something about your situation before she slips away. We never know who else we might lose in this journey."

"What situation-"

Augustus sighs, "Just leave it, Lover Boy."

I press a hand on Zarren's head to check his temperature, and flinch a little because it's burning hot.

I turn to Augustus, "He has a fever."

He nods, "Leave it to me."

Zarren begins to speak, "I-I am fine-"

And then he slumps back into the pillow with his eyes closed. I raise an eyebrow at Augustus.

"I might have put him into a state of dreamless sleep," the boy says with a shrug.

I simply nod at him, he made a good decision, "Thank you."

"Why was he calling out his mom's name?"

I shake my head slightly at Gus, "That is a story for him to tell."

And at that very instance, as if the universe was dying to give Augustus the answers to his question, Zarren turns onto his back, throwing off the covers, such that the loose shirt that he is wearing rides up his back to reveal some purple-brown scars.

The hazel eyed boy inhales sharply, "Oh."

Oh well now he knows anyway, "Can you do something about them?"

"I can heal them, get them to disappear, just get me some nectar."

"Whoa are those bruises?" Mikaello asks standing next to me. I had forgotten he was there.

I nod and Mikaello falls silent beside me.

I move over to stand right next to Zarren, "Help me take the shirt off."

With the help of Augustus and Mikaello, I get Zarren's shirt off.

"Never thought, that in the prime of my youth I would be taking a dude's shirt off in the presence of two other dudes," Augustus grumbles while running his glowing hands along Zarren's bare back.

I just fix him with an exasperated stare while waiting for Mikaello to piece together what Gus really meant.

"More nectar!" Gus demands and Mikaello hands him a bottle before realization finally strikes the blonde and he makes a face.

"Sheesh how deep are these bruises! This is not a beating with a stick or even a whip, there are fucking knives involved here," Augustus says with a frown.

I feel more sadness and sympathy overwhelm me as I stare at Zarren's peaceful face.

"I hope life treats him better," Mikaello finally says while Augustus and him begin to head out.

~