We roamed aimlessly around the city till the crack of the dawn.

It seemed like the city never slept. The stalls and people functional throughout the entire night. Finally, Nia stifled a yawn.

"We should get back," Aahan said, failing to stifle a yawn altogether.

Aris groaned, "Oh come on. We only just started!" He grinned at me; however, my face must've shown my exhaustion as he sighed and conceded defeat. "Alright."

He grumbled all the way to the car, where I buckled in for another life-threatening ride back to Asteria. I gazed at them silently. It was clear that they had known each other for a long time. I felt slightly uncomfortable and instead gazed out of the window and at the city flying by which was merely a vortex of colours. 

Lazy conversation floated in the car as I struggled to stay awake, my mind wandering back again and again to Meredith and what I assumed was her mysterious lover. It seemed like Aureus wasn't the only way who knew how to convince the guards. 

We reached Asteria and were thankfully able to sneak in effortlessly, although it had been a challenge not to look suspicious as we were out at four in the morning.

"One of these days we have to visit the Sentinel Sognare," Aris said suddenly as we stood in the elevator after bidding goodnight to Nia. "You know, as an educational trip or something."

He winked at Aahan who rolled his eyes exasperated. I shot them a questioning look as Aahan spoke, "It's the Castle where the Vartiyahs live. No one knows it's location, hence this proves Greenwood's stupidity since no Vartiyah in their right mind would escort him there." 

Aris didn't react, his mind seemingly still wandering towards seeing the Sognare. "Who knows what all it has? I've heard about fountains of gold and silver. The walls are studded with diamonds. It harbours the powers of the legendary Helios."

"Helios," I muttered, "he is a Deus?"

Aris nodded. "He's the Deus of Starlight. Although he died ages ago in The Dark War."

Aahan shook his head. "Many people believe that it's just a myth. That the existence of the eighth element of Starlight itself is a myth. But Vartiyahs train at the Sognare so that is real. Just, no one apart from them has ever seen them. Vartiyahs and prospective Vartiyahs."

"Why is it a myth?" I asked. "The others exist right?"

This time, it was Aris who answered. "Other six. Fire, water, earth, air, thunder, metal. The seventh Deus is Samaria. She is rumoured to simply have defensive powers, her secondary earth abilities have withered away. The earth Deus right now is Zemouis. Helios is the eighth." 

"Withered away?" I asked. "How does that happen?"

"There used to be seven before Zemouis defeated Samaria in an open battle. After that, she honed her defensive skills and was granted a position back on the Deus council because of that. That's how it goes. New Nuvues train enough to be a Vartiyah, challenge a Deus and become one. Happens in hundreds and thousands of years though or might not happen at all," he finished. 

I didn't know what to think. With all the wondrous things I had so far witnessed already, I wouldn't be too surprised if I saw a castle with gold and silver fountains and diamond walls and divine politics. 

"We should do this again soon. Maybe tonight!" Aris said suddenly, positively jumping.

"Man," Aahan said, scowling in annoyance. "Are you on crack?"

I almost smiled and gazed at Aris in awe. He seemed to have infinite energy and zeal. I wondered if he was still using his strange soothing powers, but I found myself inclined to trust him, or at least, wanting to. 

Aris didn't answer; he simply smiled, his eyes sparkling. "You all should learn something from me. Feel the adrenaline through your veins. The thrill. The excit-" 

He stopped suddenly as the lift opened unexpectedly on the sixth floor, and to our shock, a haggard-looking girl stepped in. Her t-shirt hanging loosely around her shoulders, her haywire hair tumbling recklessly over them. She was with the 'resourceful' guy that Elijah had previously been accompanied by. Their eyes widened almost comically as they exchanged glances. They seemed to change their mind and stepped out again. The elevator door closed as we purposefully tore our eyes away from the now shut doors.

"Whoa. Ellerman's going to cry," Aahan said matter-of-factly.

"Elijah?" I asked, turning to him. 

He nodded. "That was Megan. She's his girlfriend." He shrugged. "By the looks of it, though, she seems to be indulging in coitus with Hector Beer."

Aris groaned. "Can you fucking stop with that? Just say sex."

Aahan looked at him before back at me. "Sex. She's cheating on him." He shook his head. "You know, for all his reputation, he isn't that smart, considering that almost everyone else knows that he is being cheated on."

I stared at the closed elevator door for a while. The mention of Elijah had brought his warnings back to my mind. 

I asked the elevator at large, "How come no one's told him yet?"

"Because he has no friends, and the only person who cares for him is his sister," Aahan said. "But he's too much of a fathead to listen to her. And...well...Megan Turner is brilliant." 

I felt a little bad for Elijah in spite of everything. Despite our physical similarities, my irrational suspicion of everything and everyone was the polar opposite of his easily trusting nature. A clear weakness.

In some ways, through the torment that Ezra had put me through, I had always assumed that Elijah had simply been dragged along forcibly, propelled by his gullibility. Although I could understand, I couldn't find it in myself to sympathize with someone who simply stood by as the remnant of my dignity was stripped by his own brother.

The elevator stopped for a second time on the tenth floor.

"Alright. This is our stop." Aahan announced and started moving towards the exit. Aris waved at me as Aahan nodded solemnly, and the elevator door started shutting. I nodded back, conflict forming in my chest. 

Making a split decision, I clicked the button that held the door open and called after both of them. "Hey. Th-thanks. For...everything." 

Aris winked at me again as Aahan smiled. "Yes. Thank you for sitting in the passenger seat of death. I must usually bear that brunt." 

Aris' eyes widened and he reached back into the elevator, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto their floor. Aahan stared at him wide-eyed as I staggered and almost fell, my paranoid reflexes made me wrench my hand violently from his grasp so he staggered back slightly.

"You should come with us," Aris said, quickly rearranging his crestfallen face into a seemingly nonchalant one. My heart pounded rapidly, reeling from the sudden warmth that had somehow felt scalding. 

Aahan sighed and walked away without a word. "He's just tired," Aris explained, more to himself before he rounded on me. "It's already late. Come on."

He turned and started walking away, leaving me to stare at my wrist where some of my skin had become visible. I quickly pulled my sleeve over the pale flesh and stood still for a while, my heart thumping like a madman. I had had several people try to be friends with me back at Stonewall. More than friends even. However, physical interactions were never casual for me. 

The few times that I had become 'friendly' with anyone at my old school, my interactions had transcended outside being platonic. I wasn't used to friendly touches, overthinking each brush of skin, each flutter of breath, each lingering look. Most of the times, I seemed to have no control over my body and I was certain, my twisted thoughts would disgust any rational-minded human. I had two extremes in my relationships with people, strangers or sexual partners. There was never anything in between. Although, I knew the two were scarcely different. Each of them had seen the scars on my body, had known what they were, and in none of the strangers' eyes had I seen a smidgen of concern. Fear, perhaps.

But that day, when I had completely crippled in front of Aris, I had seen concern. As if he cared. Why would he? He had no reason to. Maybe he was just as good at acting as I was. 

I followed him for the lack of a better response, deciding to keep my walls up as he led me into the very last room along the corridor, opening it with a flourish. An exhausted Aahan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. 

"Welcome to our bachelor pad!" Aris declared.

"You make me cringe, Aureus Greenwood," Aahan said, sounding defeated as he propped himself on his elbow and smiled at me. "But yeah. Welcome."

Their room was almost double in size to that of mine. Two single beds were located on either side of the room with individual closets. A huge window stood on the opposite side, its curtains currently pulled. The wall above Aahan's bed was full of pictures from his childhood. A beautiful woman with rich brown skin held a baby Aahan in her arms. He had inherited her dark hair and brown, hooded eyes. Aris' side, however, remained empty. I silently wondered if there was perhaps some story behind it, or maybe, I was simply overthinking. 

"We should do something like-'' Aris sauntered over to his bedside table, opening it to reveal a huge collection of snacks. He picked up a packet of chips and threw it at me, "fancy an early snack?"

"You don't have a choice, Zeke. Just say yes," Aahan said as he walked over to the drawer and fished out a chocolate bar. 

Aahan's bedside table consisted of a large pile of books, each looking well-read with creased bindings. I sat awkwardly at the edge of Aris' bed, feeling out of place.

"So-'' Aris began, "tell us what was it like at your mortal school and we'll tell you about Asteria."

I saw Aahan roll his eye. "He will tell you about Asteria even if you beg him not to, Zeke. Aureus Eugene cannot stop-Ow!" He grimaced as there was a loud scrunch and Aris hit him with a bag of biscuits. "That fucking hurt you moron!" Aahan said, clutching his nose. "Are you stupid?"

Aris sighed, "You asked for that, Rana." 

Aahan grumbled, lying on his back as Aris launched into a monologue. "Well yes, I will tell you about Asteria because I think it is important for you to know about it." 

Aahan reached over his bedside table as Aris glanced at him, his voice was suddenly low with what I assumed was guilt.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Aahan gave him a death glare but didn't answer. He took out a book and started reading. 

"Your scholarship can't increase from one hundred per cent Aahan," Aris said as I started. 

"One...hundred?" I stared at him in disbelief. 

Aahan sighed, "I..." he shrugged, "I don't want Clearwater to pay for me."

He didn't explain further as he went back to his reading. I couldn't understand why he called his father (presumably), by his last name. The only thing that made sense was that he was not his biological son. However, how he and his mother ended up in Obscura, I didn't know. 

Aris looked at me and shook his head slightly. I realized there was more to it than I could see.

I spent a couple of hours in their room, having a taste of all the different kinds of snacks that Evimeria had to offer. Some of them were regular ones like chips, others like zebra skin chocolates had spicy flavours that made your throat burn. Some candies that seemed innocent enough but gave you a brain freeze.

By the end of the two hours, my tongue felt like falling off.

Aris offered to escort me back to my room. Aahan had fallen asleep reading the book, leaving it open on his face. Aris got up and slowly walked over to him, removing the book as I heard the sound of his gentle snores. He shut it and kept it on the table before covering him with a blanket and tiptoeing back to me. I gazed at the scene for a while, a strange longing in my heart. Even though he seemed to be bickering with both his friends for the majority of the time, their mutual level of trust and comfort was clear. 

A tangible ache shot through my chest and I gasped softly, unconsciously touching my wrist where Aris had a while ago. I couldn't imagine ever trusting anyone. I couldn't fathom how people could. I didn't know how to not be selfish. I had always lived for myself, having forgotten that another 'normal' way of life did exist. It was a stranger to me. My own devilish mind sometimes was.

"Let's go." Aris mouthed as I nodded and walked out, shutting the door gently behind us.

"Aahan's mother remarried a few years ago. Five years ago, precisely," Aris said, as soon as we were out of the sight of the room. "And...well..." he sighed, "I don't know if I should tell you this but, you know how people are." He shook his head. "His stepfather is really fucking rich. So...people started calling him and his mother gold diggers."

"So he basically bends over backwards not to take any monetary help from his father." I nodded in understanding, feeling newfound respect for Aahan. Finally, we reached the lift, and he bid me goodbye. However, I couldn't move, a million questions in my head almost making me dizzy.

"You...guys are really close," I said softly, struggling to keep the jealousy out of my voice. 

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as if my demeanour was puzzling him. "Yeah. I've known them for a long time now."

"Yeah. You...you really seem to care about each other."

I felt like an utter idiot as I stood in front of him. The concept of friendship was so alien to me that I couldn't help but be curious. 

"Well," he said, moving a little closer and tilting his head slightly to the side, once again as if he saw right through me. "You have to let people care for you sometimes."

"It's good that you're...close and...friends," I bit my tongue, stuttering and embarrassing myself completely. My ears heated up and I took step back, resisting the urge to run. 

"Yeah. It's great," he answered softly. 

"Hm," I muttered. I turned away from him and stepped inside the elevator, my insides suddenly hollow as I realized something with a jolt. His expression was unreadable as the doors slid shut. I leaned back against the metal, staring at where he had disappeared mere seconds ago.

Somehow being with them had only reminded me of what I never had. Of what I perhaps never could have. A void seemed to expand in my chest and threatened to encompass me into its unending and impenetrable darkness. 

 A harlot in a shiny world of royals. A withered weed in a garden of blooming flowers. An insignificant dark speck in an even darker starless sky.