Darkness.

It was all I could see.

Silence. 

It was all I could hear.

Numbness.

It was all I could feel.

My body had lost its ability to wiled Starlight, or so it felt like. however, it was still able to heal itself considerably fast. Although it meant little when I lost the concept of time. I was barely in my senses when I was dragged down what felt like a million stairs. I remember rough hands grabbing me, tearing the necklace away from me. I remembered the amethyst finally losing contact with my skin and the searing, burning agony that came with it. The impending sense of loss and doom. The loss of hope, even though I barely had any left.

Through the haze, a single thought kept tormenting me. 

Poisoned. They had said that my dad had been poisoned. They hadn't answered or clarified anything else and my heart automatically assumed the worst. Was it true then? 

Even though it hardly had made a difference, I couldn't somehow fathom the thought of being orphaned. At that moment, I wished the prophecy would be realized soon. Every day that I breathed, I lost more and more anyway.

In all my life, I had only heard stories, horrific tails about the dungeons in the Ophelian palace. However, when I was dragged into one, all I felt was cold. Dark. Spiritless.

I leaned against the grey stone wall, gazing timelessly into the impenetrable darkness. I could hear noises in the background. What sounded like almost painful howls. I knew there were other people along with me there. Each committing a crime heinous in the eyes of law, or in the laws of humanity itself. I knew I should probably feel scared, but in a way, I felt relieved. I just hoped my body wouldn't have healed itself so that the inevitable happened already.

The stone was cold and unyielding, unforgiving under me. I could barely feel my own chest rising and falling as I took in shallow breaths. I lifted a hand in front of me, although my only senses were too exhausted to tell whether my limbs had actually listened to my command. I tried to call for starlight with a feeble will, wondering if it would come to me. The shrouding darkness, however, remained deathly still. 

How was all of it, how was any of it, real?

I  wondered vaguely if the Deus would know of my situation. They seemed to be omnipresent, but would they come to my rescue? It didn't matter really, I wasn't hoping to be rescued, quite the contrary in fact. 

I rested my head against the hard wall, the hollowness in my chest agonisingly heavy. Elijah had called to execute me. How was he going through with it? In all honesty, I was shocked that he had actually decided to go through with it. It was true that he had hated me always, however, a small part of me had hoped that maybe someday we would achieve some semblance of tolerance for each other. It turns out that with him as the king, he now had no moral leash at all and was willing to be as cruel as he was capable of being. 

But then, was it really cruelty? Was it not true that over the last so many weeks, I had longed for an end like a coward?

At least I would get to see Aris again. 

Or would I?

I had never given much thought to heaven nor hell. If I did see him, what would I say to him? Would I tell him that I still loved him? Would I forgive him?

No way he deserved such mercy. 

Almost as soon as the thought had formed in my head, I felt a soft nuzzling near my feet. The gentle, fleeting brush of something warm and soft. My heart stopped in my throat, but my instincts were too slow to withdraw my leg. I couldn't see in the dark as the soft something gently traced my feet, almost in a show of assurance. The sudden kindness was so overwhelming that my heart stopped for a second, revelling in it. I wondered if it was some nocturnal creature who had been disposed along with people who were scarcely above it. The thought was pathetically comforting. So in my last moments, I was accompanied by something that was scarcely any better than myself. Perhaps a rat or lizard. 

My eyes snapped instinctively at the grilles in front of me, or more appropriately to where I knew the grilles were located. It was dark. 

Was it time then? 

A masochistic pleasure rippled through me at the thought that perhaps it already was the next day. Or was it merely a few hours? The slithering that had called my attention sounded again. It sounded like vines on metal, soft ivy sliding against the contrasting hardness of the iron. Gradually, I became aware of soft, unearthly music wafting to my ears from miles away. The music was soft, beautiful. The melody a surreal symphony of what sounded like a harp. It sounded heavenly. I felt suddenly at peace. Whether it was the heavenly tune or merely hopelessness, I was unsure. 

The music got louder and closer, and suddenly I found myself yearning. Longing to be close to the source of whatever or whoever was crafting the beautiful memory. It was tender, like a child's laughter and yet powerful like the blazing sun. It was affectionate and at the same time alluring. A blend of all the joys and a whirlpool of all sorrows, somehow all at once. 

The music wafted closer to me and I held my breath. The slithering noises increased and soon a source of light moved closer to the cell where I was in. A bright white light slowly moved closer and close to my prison and I found myself at ease. If this was how it was to be ended, I would have no complaints. 

The light lit up the bars of my cell and I gazed at the suddenly blinding brightness, my eyes slowly adjusting. The infallible shadows secluded themselves, fleeing from the warmth. All around me the wails and moans got louder, as if they too, were revelling in the trance-like music. 

And just like that, I knew. 

A figure seemed to float in front of my cell, obscured by feeble shadows. The light dimmed a little so my eyes finally registered who it was. 

I was unfeeling as I gazed at the golden hair, shimmering in an ethereal way under the light, the tendrils were now wrapped against the iron and seemed to effortlessly pry them apart as slender fingers guided them, and the emerald eyes where I had sworn to meet my death. 

Aurues Greenwood stood in front of me. 

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My entire world crashed to the ground. Was I hallucinating? 

The iron bars parted and soon I heard the rattle of chains and the loud clang as the door swung open. At that moment, it didn't matter that I was to be killed at sundown.  It didn't matter that the fate of the world rested on my shoulders. It didn't matter that he had so selfishly left me so many days ago. It didn't matter that he had ruined and devastated me in ways I hadn't thought was possible. 

He walked closer to me, his feet touching the ground softly as his eyes finally met mine. 

"Ezekiel,"

I hadn't thought I still had a heart left to break. 

"Aureus."

His eyes glistened momentarily as they roved over me, perhaps taking in my form. His breath hitched before he spoke in a voice that was somehow different than what I remembered. "Come with me."

I glanced down at my feet where I now realized the thing that had brushed against my feet was just a pale flower, looking out of place against the drab background.

"Zeke," he whispered. Why was his voice suddenly different? Was it truly him, or an imposter? Or worse, just my own brain fucking with me? Was this another one of Andreas' twisted tricks? 

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice hoarse. My insides seemed to have emptied all of a sudden. I was devoid of any feelings whatsoever. 

His eyes fixed on mine steadily. Before I knew what was happening, he crouched in front of me and leaned in close, his lips finding mine in a soft, tender kiss. I was shocked by how warm, how familiar his lips felt. Somehow, my unfeeling heart seemed to ache tangibly at the horrifying familiarity. 

"It's me, Sunshine."

I gazed at him silently, hoping to do something. Feel something other than the excruciating pain. A million thoughts crashed into my chest in a tidal wave, each stronger than the last. I couldn't extricate a single emotion from all others. He stood up straight, his voice a mere whisper. 

"Please come with me, Sunshine."

I felt paralyzed, almost in a trance as I rose to my feet, following him as he led me out of the iron cell. I was sure it was a fever dream, but his touch had felt real enough. Had I already succumbed? 

I felt like I was walking through viscous air when he led me through the darkness, a strange distance between us, as if, we suddenly belonged to different worlds. Perhaps we did. In reality, I knew I had no reason to trust this concoction of a nightmare, but I had nothing to lose anyway. 

I didn't question how he found his way inside. I didn't question how he knew where I was. I didn't question anything as he led me up a dark, spiral staircase inside what felt like a turret. We emerged onto a deserted roof, devoid of any structures at all. I gazed up almost subconsciously. I was stunned to see how dark the night appeared as if the entire universe had been plunged into eternal darkness. There seemed to be no moon tonight, not a single star above in the raven sky. 

The single source of illumination was the ethereal glow from the phantom who claimed to be Aris. Other light from below in the palace didn't seem to reach us. How was it possible that he was able to break into the dungeons so easily? Why had he?

He turned to face me, his eyes glittering unnaturally. Almost eerily. I didn't flinch when he moved closer to me and grasped my hand in both of his. He took a deep breath before he whispered, "Let's get out of here."

And I was plunged into a tyrannical chaos of lights, colours and sounds.

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Thank you so much for reading. And I apologize for the super long wait. I'm back now and will try to maintain a more regular schedule for this! 

Also omfg okay so Aris is back! Or is he...?