Sky threw his hands up in the air. "Of course. Of course."

  Deadlox remained calm. He had seen his share of wars and death, so it didn't scare him. What did make him uncomfortable, however, was that his friend was also in a possible future war zone and he probably had little to no combat experience.

  "With whom?" he inquired as Sky began to throw a miniature fit.

  After an uncertain glance at Sky, Brice answered. "A city-state called Teskra. They don't know we exist, of course, but by endangering our allies, they endanger us. If a war breaks out, we'll have to reveal ourselves and join in the fight to protect them."

  "Why can't you just let them fend for themselves?" Deadlox asked curiously.

  "Kaon—our ally—is our sister city. It's kind of a weird history. According to legend, both places were built by two immortals. They were very close to each other but then they turned on each other and fought. They battled for days, but they were evenly matched so neither could land a killing blow.

  "Then, five days after they began fighting, a new immortal appeared: Notch. You probably know who he is—healer of the Rift, legend of Aegon, blah blah blah—but he saw the destruction that the two were creating and decided that enough is enough. He caught them both by surprise, using their weaknesses against them. Notch changed the very atoms of one, making him so unstable that he couldn't even take a physical form without the right kind of magic. The other was a bit luckier. Notch turned him into a terrifying beast, so that nobody in the city he once loved would ever come near him again. He also would never sleep again and would rely on certain materials for life. Then they were both banished to different sub-realms: the souls' prison and the end of everything."

  "The Nether and the End," Deadlox muttered, processing this story. Unease was filling him and even Sky had stopped his tantrum to listen.

  Brice nodded. "Yeah."

  "So if the creators of the cities ended up hating each other, why are you still allies?"

  "Well, still according the the legend, Notch wanted peace between the two cities once their creators were gone. He made it to where peace had to be there for survival by casting an enchantment on them. If one fell, the other would follow instantly." He shook his head. "The citizens of Kaon don't believe in the legend, since, to their knowledge, this is just an ancient city in ruins. And if we were actually in ruins, they would be, too."

  "But you believe in it." Sky spoke now.

  Brice was silent for a moment, then replied. "Yes."

  Suddenly, the blonde boy seemed to snap out of his serious, storytelling state, his eyes flashing to Sky's wound. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! You're hurt!" Deadlox jumped back in surprise as he rushed to Sky's side, lifting Sky's arm to examine the wound. "Did I do that?"

  "No?" Sky replied, he too taken by surprise by Brice's sudden change of attitude.

  "We should get you to the infirmary," Brice decided. "I'm not good with healing magic and it's not far from here since I have a lot of accidents with my magic and Seto has to be able to bring me there quickly." Deadlox tensed as Brice grabbed Sky's wrist and pulled him out the door. The demon followed closely, trying not to step on their heels as they hurried along the elegant halls. After a much shorter time than Deadlox expected (only about thirty seconds and two right turns), they came to face a wide doorway with no doors. The only thing that barred their way was a heavy, blank white curtain. Brice simply pushed it to the side and pulled Sky inside the room. Upon entrance, Deadlox was surprised at how quiet the place was; the only sounds were muffled talking and the faint clatter of metal. The first room was relatively large, full of chairs and foldable cots. Ten or so doors lined the walls, and occasionally someone dressed in a white medic's uniform would go in or out.

  Pacing by the chairs was a young man in a loose suit and tie. It was wrinkled and torn in places and there was a suspicious-looking crimson stain on the right sleeve. He had long, fluffy brown hair that he ran his fingers through in what appeared to be anxiety or worry. Big chocolate eyes kept glancing at one of the doors. Upon seeing their entrance, he shook his head at Brice.

  "I'm not going into the conference room yet. General Seto and Jordan will have to wait." He gestured to the door that he kept staring at. "I have...personal matters to attend to."

  "Oh, don't worry. I didn't come to send you back," Brice replied, leading Sky to an open door. Peering in, Deadlox saw that it was a small, simple room with a bed and a table beside it. "I'm here to get him taken care of." He pointed to Sky, and Deadlox stepped closer to the two.

  The other boy's eyes widened a bit when he saw Sky's unconcealed, empty eyes and the wings and tail that Deadlox had only tucked in closely.

  "I know who you guys are," he said in shock, no longer pacing. "You're...um...Sky and Deadlox."
 
  Surprised, Deadlox unconsciously took another step towards Sky and Brice. "How do you know who we are?"

  "My friend lived with you guys! He left only about a month ago!" His voice was growing excited. "You remember Mitch, don't you?"

  Deadlox saw Sky's eyes widen in excitement and he, himself, let out a small laugh. The chances of this sort of thing happening were...beyond microscopic.

  "You must be Jerome," Deadlox smiled, his mood changing. "We've heard about you as well."

  "You're correct." They shook hands and Deadlox looked at Sky expectantly. The brine was staring at the door with a nervous expression.

  "So where are Mitch and Ian?" he asked, meeting Jerome's eyes. The taller brunette's face fell. Deadlox got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

  "They arrived safely at Kaon," Jerome told them. "But on our way here, we were attacked by Teskran assassins. Ian is fine, just a few bruises. He's in the conference room. But Mitch...he's the reason that Ian is ok. He took a sword to the gut to save him. You guys have really built a lot of loyalty between each other."

  Immediately, both immortals ran for the door that Jerome had worried over so much. Sky flung it open and rushed to the side of the boy laying in the bed. Medics shot them glares but didn't stop them, muttering to each other and handing each other tools and medicines.

  Indeed, it was Mitch. The demon had not at all expected their team member and friend to show up again, especially in this sort of situation.

  Deadlox watched Sky, who had been closer to Mitch than he had. The brine knelt by the injured boy, calling softly to him. "Mitch? Maybe we shouldn't have spilt up. Things got a little...wild after you left. Apparently the same happened for you guys."

  He went quiet for a moment, but his eyes widened when Mitch let out a groan.

  "Yeah, maybe if we stayed at the cave I wouldn't have been stabbed," he said with a weak smile. A grin spread on Sky's face.

  "Hey, you shouldn't complain. I spent a week in a coma. Plus, I had to fight evil squids who messed up my arm." He put his wound in Mitch's view and the other boy scoffed.

  "Well, I had to fight evil people who messed up my stomach." Mitch let out a dramatic sigh that was cut off with a sharp gasp of pain. "I'll never eat again."

  "Yes, you will," a medic cut in, and Mitch rolled his eyes.

  "Your glasses are gone," he noticed, and Sky touched his face where his sunglasses would have rested.
 
  "It feels kind of weird not to have your vision darkened," the brine laughed. "And you get used to having something on your face all the time."

  Receiving an impatient look from Brice, Deadlox interrupted. "You need to go get your arm looked at. That's why we came. And it's my turn to talk to the idiot."

  Sky sighed, but after a last relieved smile at Mitch he allowed Brice to lead him out of the room. Deadlox knelt in Sky's place, scowling playfully at the injured boy.

  "Nice to see you, idiot" he told him.

  "Right back at ya, freak," Mitch replied, and gave a mischievous smile.

  "What?" Curiosity took over. "What is it?"

  "You've both changed." The boy's smile grew. "You...you look at him differently."

  "What on earth do you mean?"

  "I can't really explain it. You look at him in a way that's not like you looked at him before. Did you two...?"

  Deadlox felt heat rise in his face. "Wh-no!"

  "Are you at least a couple?"

  "No!" The demon knew that his face was red and he hated it. But Mitch's questions had him tracing back over recent events. He recalled his immense worry for the brine, worry that he had never felt for anyone. How terrified he had been when Sky had walked into that arena. The fury that overcame him when the boy was injured. The protective and incredibly calm feeling that he felt in his chest while he held his friend in his arms and watched the stars gleam in his glowing eyes.

He tried changing the subject. "What about you and Jerome? Are you together?"

  It was Mitch's turn to turn slightly pink. "No," he said after the tiniest hesitation, and Deadlox knew he had found a weak point. He gave his friend an evil grin.

  "Not yet," he teased. Mitch rolled his eyes.

  "I would shove you over but that would hurt me more than it would hurt you." He glanced up at the medics, who seemed to be finishing up. "They really heal stuff fast. That potion stuff works wonders."

  "So you'll be up for fighting Jason again in no time." Mitch's face darkened at the demon's statement.

  "Has he given you guys more trouble?" he asked. Deadlox laughed bitterly.

  "Enough for years. He found the cave after an...accident and took us to an island fortress. I think...I think his sister was immortal. And I think Jason killed her. But he's immortal, too! So I can't figure out why he's so intent on killing us if he's-"

  "Whoa, whoa," Mitch chuckled nervously, and winced in pain. "Slow down, there. I want the whole story. Take as long as you need; I'll be here a while, anyway."

  Deadlox took a moment to think and to prepare his story. "Sky was right when he said we shouldn't have split up. When we did, everything changed."