Alexus grabbed her robe off the ground and pulled it back over her head. She'd never felt so liberated in her life. It was such a freeing feeling to not be weighed down by the robe, to not be chained to their rules. They were always supposed to wear them for uniformity. It kept them humble and modest - letting their focus remain on following the path of the Goddess of Light. The only exception was in their rooms at night. For the first time she felt a little bit in control of her own life: a sense of empowerment.

The thought had never crossed her mind why she stayed here. Maybe the familiarity of it all kept her here, or the hope that her parents would one day return for her. Perhaps it was all the teachings making her believe this was what she was meant to do with her life? As it was, she was all alone with no one to turn to. Sure Brother Joseph was like a father to her, but he belonged to the Temple of Light. With the Courts and bandits thriving the world was a dangerous place to travel alone - even more so for a young lady, not to mention it was an improper thing to do.

Whatever the reason may be, she finally realized that maybe being a Sister of Light wasn't what she wanted. She'd found her independence, however false it may be. She wasn't a little girl, at sixteen, and it was about time she made decisions for herself. She no longer held the childish fears of monsters lurking under the bed. The world was a cruel place, that was a given, but holding onto unrealistic fantasies wasn't healthy; and that was what the followers of Light were doing. No godly being was going to come down and save them, and no amount of wishing was going to change that. Every day reports filtered in of more and more villages ran-sacked as the poor were taken into slavery: it no longer matter what faith you hold value - though it was worse for those who held on to the past.

Hearing Brother Joseph's voice wrapped it's way into her thoughts, she wiped the sweat off of her face with the sleeve of her robe. There was no use on dwelling on things that couldn't be changed.

"Lexus did you hear me? I said you don't have to clean the stables today, instead, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes, Brother Joseph. What is it you want?"

"The men have a friend who's hurt. None of the other Sisters are willing to help him. They refuse to be near them if they can help it. I would like it if you would to go help him?" he asked a bit hopefully as he looked at her with his friendly brown eyes. He always had a way of smiling with his eyes, the crinkles along the edges made it more noticeable, putting everyone at ease and making it harder for her to refuse.

Still, Alexus knew the choice was hers to make, for once, as there was no Sister or Brother of Light telling her what to do. This would be her first real decision she'd make towards her adult life. She smiled at Brother Joseph. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She finally had a chance to make a difference. How could she pass that up? She couldn't comprehend the Sister's refusal of helping someone in need - regardless of race or religion. It was the way of the Light to help any and all.

"I'll help him," Alexus said, her sweet voice was soft but firm with a hint of power lingering beneath.

As a group, they walked down the halls to the room Levi was in, taking turns left or right when needed. The quietness of the corridors was filled by the thudding of their boots against stone. Alexus walked along side Brother Joseph while Gabel and Darius followed behind. She could sense the tension between them, but wasn't sure what the matter was. Shouldn't they be happy she was helping? And was it just her, or did anyone else noticed the air around them had seemed to cooled down a notch or two? The cooler air felt good to her, cooling her heated body, after fighting with Gabel. Though, she found it odd that there wasn't a breeze.

They strode into Levi's room and Alexus noticed the two men hovering over a third. One, had sandy-blond hair and his back turned towards her, and the other was on the opposite side of the bed facing her. He had fiery-red hair that was slightly spiked, and his blazing green eyes were staring straight at her. There was something about him that she didn't like. He made her skin crawl as if it were covered in bugs.

This was it, she thought to herself, giving herself a mental shove towards the hurt stranger. The bed was facing outwards in the middle of the right wall with a wooden stool off to the side. Hesitantly, she took her first step towards him, and as she became more sure of herself, her speed picked up. Reaching the bed, she made sure to keep her distance from the redhead as she looked down at the person, gasping in awe; though she quickly covered her mouth. He looked like an angel! And she figured him to be close to her own age.

His face still held the softness of a boy mixed with masculinity of a man. Light-brown hair clung to his face from sweat. His eyes were closed and his lips were palling in color; no longer the ruby-red hue she knew they were meant to be.

She placed the palm of her hand to his forehead; he felt cool and clammy to the touch. She pulled down the covers and lifted up his tunic to inspect his bandages. They were soaked with blood, not surprised, she peeled off the wrappings only to jumped back in horror, muffling a scream. She'd never seen anyone injured to this degree. They had the occasional farmer accident, broken bones, and mothers experiencing hard labors come in from the city, but never something so sever.

Hearing a shriek coming from outside the door, Alexus turned her head to look. Lea stood their with a hand hovering over her mouth.

"Lea, you need to leave now! This isn't the time or place," Brother Joseph said, calmly staring at Lea in the eye.

She nodded, eyes wide, and turned to leave.

He turned back to Alexus. "You got this," he stated as if it was the truth.

She gave him a shake of the head, grateful for the encouragement and the faith he had, as she wasn't feeling so sure herself. She looked back at the man-boy. He'd been mutilated, cuts ran up and down his body, some wide as her arm. She didn't know what could of caused this, but whoever had done so was very skilled in the art. They knew how to skin a victim alive, leaving him conscious to feel the pain. Many of the cuts were already festering. She walked over to the basin that was sitting on a small wooden table off to the side.

Alexus picked up the copper pitcher filled with water beside the basin, noticing the coolness, she was glad it was fresh. It would help to ease some discomfort. However, pouring the water in to the basin had turned into a task of its own. Her hands were shaking so bad she'd nearly spilled half of it on the floor. The sound of water rushing into the wooden bowl did little to comfort her. She took the clean cloths and bandages that were set on the other side, carrying it all back to the bed; balancing the cloth and bandages in one hand, while the other held the basin balancing on her hip.

She tried to calm her nerves as she dipped the cloth into the cool water.

Okay Alexus, you can do this, just take a deep breath and calm down.

She inhaled deeply as she steadied her hands with the cloth near his wounds. She slowly, and gently, began washing his cuts, trying to cause him the least amount of pain as was possible. Her hands were fast covered in blood, and as panic and fear started to take root, she worked more quickly, wanting to keep him from bleeding out. With the help of the man next to her, she was able to dress his wounds.

She pulled the stool up next to the bed, knowing what must be done but feared doing it. She didn't know if she could heal him - she'd only done a few minor injuries before. Normally, the healing was done by an elder Sister of Light. She calmed her shaking hands as she placed one on top of his head and the other on top of his chest.

Goddess of Light please give me the strength.

She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. She felt someone touched her hand. She glanced sideways - it was the guy with sandy-blond hair.

"Please heal him. He is my brother. He is all I have left," the man spoke softly, as if speaking loudly would ruin any chance the boy on the bed would be saved. "We will forever be in your debt."

Alexus took in his blue eyes filled with concern, the paleness of his skin gave way to the dark circles beneath. The more she looked at him, the more she saw the signs of exhaustion: he was slouched over, and his eyes were slightly dull. They didn't hold the alertness one usually did when wide awake.

"I'll try." She hoped her voice wasn't as shaky as she felt, hoping she could do what she was about to do. She closed her eyes again.

Clearing her mind, she focused on the man on the bed. It was as if they were completely alone in the universe. Time stood still, and there wasn't a single sound heard in the room. Everyone was frozen, holding their breathes, waiting to see what would happened next. All their eyes strained on Alexus- like lost men hoping for salvation.

Alexus began concentrating on bringing the energy of light to her hands, letting it flow down into the man on the bed and forming a connection. The buzzing force left a tingling sensation in her hands as she let the flow of power guide her to the first cut.

Not prepared for the onslaught that tore through her, she squeezed her eyes shut, screaming internally. She wanted nothing more than for it to stop. She was overwhelmed, feeling everything that had caused him pain, that had led to the shattering of his soul. Weren't there others in the room? Couldn't they see that she was in pain? Couldn't they help her? She wasn't ready for this. She'd not been prepared for this. Her body felt like it was being ripped apart a thousand times over.

Please Goddess of Light make it stop!

Sweat began to break over her brow as the anguish of hurt and sorrow continued to ripple through her body. With no choice but to carry on, she continued from one cut to the next, the pain never relenting. She healed the internal injuries as she came across them. She wasn't sure how much more of it she could take. The agony was too much, and it was depleting her energy. How could anyone endure this and still live?

Finally, she thought as her vision had begun to blacken, I can escape the pain.

To the world her body showed no visible signs of distress, just that she was in deep concentration - until she passed out, falling on top of Levi. Caught off guard, they were unable to catch her before she dropped. Brother Joseph warned everyone not to touch her yet, as they must wait for her to break the connection first.

Alexus had the sensation of falling into a dark void. There was nothing but empty blackness that seemed to stretch on for eternity. No way of telling how far she had been descending, or the speed at which she was dropping. She didn't understand what was happening. She was just simply drifting through a sea of blackness with nothing but silence to accompany her.

But somewhere in the nonexistence, of where everything shuts down and all that was left was emptiness, she finally realized she'd stopped falling. Though she wasn't aware of when that finally happened, only it crossed her mind when she became faintly conscious of standing on glass that reflected the inkiness around her. It looked like the vast darkness extended on forever in every direction. Instinct alone had her moving. She didn't know what else to do, so she kept walking forward into the desolation.

Where am I? Am I still alive? Has the Goddess of Light forsaken me?

She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, it could of been hours or mere minutes, when she noticed a grayish area ahead. She walked to it like a lost child finally finding her way home. The closer she got, she was able to start making out hazy shapes in the gray mist; a circle, an arm, a body. She was sure she should be afraid, because what kind of person would be in a place so dark, but she wasn't. Upon reaching the figure, realization came of who it was. It made sense and she wasn't surprised at seeing the man, who she'd been healing, before her- sitting on the ground.

"Are you a goddess?" he asked in a voice that sounded broken and despondent.

"No, my name is Alexus. I've come to help you."

"Then I've not died, yet."

"No. I've healed your wounds. Now won't you please let me help you? I can bring you back. Your soul has been broken. I can heal your spirit."

"I don't want any help. I want to stay here. I am done with the world."

"Please, just take my hand? I promise it won't hurt. I can take the pain away," Alexus begged him. She was in over her head. She didn't know what she was doing, nor did she have a clue on how to get them out of where they were. But she knew one thing, she wasn't leaving without him.

"No." he replied in a cold, determined voice.

"Too bad," she said stubbornly and with determination, "the world is yet to be done with you. Your brother, as we speak, is waiting for you to return."

She saw his hazel eyes lit up for a split second before returning to their dull lifeless stare.

"No," he repeated.

She needed a way to break through to him, to make him want to live. She walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The world around us is dying, and you get a second chance. Are you really going to throw it away?"

"I said no."

"You ungrateful, spoiled, little boy! Your brother had endure who knows what to bring you here! TO. SAVE. YOU," she punctuated each word to make her point. "And you're just going to say no?"

In a flash she was on the ground with him sitting on top of her, his hands gripping tightly on her arms. He had her pinned down to where she couldn't move. She was terrified by the look in his eyes - telling her he was the predator and she the prey. There was no one here to get her out of this. It was up to her.

He smiled wickedly down at her.

"I've told you no. Why don't you listen? Stupid girl. Just leave me be! Look at you, you're trembling! There is no way you could take away the pain. Your weak. Pathetic!" He started chuckling at the end.

She stared straight into his eyes.

"I am not afraid of you."

She felt sorrow and compassion for what he been through, but she wasn't afraid.

He leaned down to her ear.

"You should be." he said in a soft, seductive voice, squeezing tighter on her arms as he placed his full weight on top of her. "I can fill your fantasies and be your worst nightmare. I can show you the reasoning behind the cuts."

She went numb. She'd never been put in this situation before. She wished someone would come to her rescue, wished they would break the connection. Knowing that nobody would, she'd have to do something that he wouldn't expect - show him that there was still something to live for. He had felt pain, grief, and misery almost his whole life. She'd show him love.

Goddess of Light, please forgive me for what I am about to do.

Alexus leaned forward, kissing him gently on the lips. She didn't dare to be invasive or forceful. She felt his body go rigid as shock took over, his weight lifted as he let go of her arms. She sat up, watching his hazel eyes clearing of the fog. The place they were at started to lighten up. Going against everything she was taught, she reached her hand up touching his face lightly, tenderly. She leaned in to kiss him again. Only this time she was met halfway.

His lips were soft, moist, and surprisingly gentle. He tentatively reached out to her face, pushing back her hair, caressing her cheek. She let her instincts take over, guiding her on what to do. She carefully, slowly let the light flow into his soul. Giving him the strength to amend it. The darkness around them lighten. It got so bright she had to close her eyes.

"You may not be the Goddess of Light, stupid girl, but you'll forever remain my Goddess. I only wished this was real," he spoke softly as he pulled away from the kiss.

When she opened her eyes she saw she was back in the room. The men surrounded her with a look of concern etched on their faces. She was laying over the man boy on the bed. She went to get up, not realizing how tired and weak she was, she collapsed. Her world went into darkness as something inside her cracked, before she was greeted with a deep slumber.