Enjoy a surprise update! And PLEASE read the bottom note at the end, since I know plenty of you guys like Falling to Rise, there is a part at the end I think many of you will enjoy knowing about!

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Grasping Fate

Chapter 5

"Sometimes following your heart means losing your mind."

"He's dead?" Mitch was shocked, he wasn't expecting this when he returned. He wasn't expecting his father to have died while he was away. "Did he...did he say anything...to me?" Mitch muttered.

"Mitch, honey, n-now I don't think is the--"

"Well did he!" Mitch felt his hand tighten up into a fist, his arm shook from anger. He wanted, no, needed to know.

"Mitch..."

"Just tell me...please," His voice cracked.

"Only that...you were not ready--but Mitch, please don't take that the wrong way. Your father--"

"Leave...leave me alone!" Mitch hissed. He turned around grabbed his bag and stormed away in the castle. Of course, what was he expecting, that on his deathbed his father for the first time in his awful life would leave him a message that showed he actually cared? Ha, don't make him laugh. Why was he ever expecting that from a man like him. Even when Mitch did everything he asked, excelled in training, and even befriended the prince of a kingdom, that for the longest time he thought was stupid, his father never once looked at him and told him 'Good job'.

Mitch felt more hurt than he's ever been, but he also felt so angry. So angry and betrayed, not just at his father, but at himself, that something like this affected him so much that he was crying. He felt the tears on his cheeks as he stormed through the long hallways, up stairs, and into his room and slammed the door. His room which was large and elegantly decorated, of course, felt to big for his own comfort.

His room did not feel like his room, it felt like the embodiment of the distance between him and his father. How he wished it was was smaller, small enough the walls felt like they were choking him. But he only felt cold and distant.

Mitch stumbled to the window, he pulled open the drapes, unlocked the window and let the brisk Duhitian night air wash over him. It calmed his nerves even if only a little.

Mitch threw his bag on the floor and sat on his bed. He sat there for Notch knows how long before he heard a noise. Mitch looked up and listened. He listened and turned towards the window, and saw the one thing he was not expecting.

"What are you doing here! And how'd you get in!" Mitch hissed and wiped his face.

"I'm following you obviously, and I climbed here, duh."

"I'm on the second floor you idiot!"

"And I've climbed trees since I was born," Jerome was leaning in through the window. Only the top half of his body was visible, the other half was probably dangling off the window's edge.

"Get in here you idiot before a guard sees you!" Jerome grinned in response.

"Aww, thanks, I've never been to a sleepover." Jerome climbed and tumbled in, he sat on the floor nearest to the window with his legs crossed.

"Oh shut up, what do you want?"

"Told ya, I'm just following you, you can blame Adam for this."

"Of course Adam would do this!" Mitch threw up his hands and fell backwards on his bed. He groaned in annoyance.

"So, you're already home, how does it feel?" Jerome asked Mitch.

"Don't ask..."

"I already did, but if you say so..." Jerome watched Mitch while he lay on the bed. He was curious, something definitely happened, but it wouldn't be easy getting him to tell him.

Jerome wondered what the best strategy would be, "So what happened, you look a little blue."

"What! What are you saying, I'm not upset!" Mitch sat up and glared. Well, the being blunt strategy didn't work, but it did catch him off guard which is good if he wanted him to be more on guard now.

Mitch grumbled and clenched his fists, "You want something to eat?" Jerome offered, he brought out an apple. Only because Mitch might want it, he didn't really like fruits.

"No." Mitch said, but his stomach said otherwise as it growled loudly, "Fine, toss it here--"

The apple smacked Mitch in the head.

"Whoops." Jerome suppressed his snickering, that was not intended. He thought Mitch was paying attention, but obviously not.

Mitch sighed and grabbed the apple that bounced from his head back onto his bed. He took a bite out of it. There was silence between them, only the sound of Mitch eating could be heard.

"Alright, alright, I know you're here to watch me and all, but does it have to be here."

"Technically no, I can rest on the roof."

"Where do you even come up with such ridiculous stuff?"

"I've lived outdoors my entire life, how is sleeping outdoors ridiculous?'

"It's on a roof..., of a castle..., where morvics shouldn't be..., that's why it is crazy..."

"I've done crazier."

"Of course you have, why am I not surprised that someone like you hasn't risked his life by doing stupid stuff..."

"And you haven't?" Jerome asked.

"While I've learned to fight my entire life, I've never had much of a chance to go out and use any of those skills. Only during the holidays is when I got the chance to fight someone other than my instructors."

"I suppose as a prince you have a sheltered life. So in a way, our adventure was like a first for you," Jerome said slyly.

"Oh shut up, I've been out of the castle, even the kingdom before, there was no first."

"Not even having to get along with someone like me?"

"...No, you're right, that was definitely a first, one that I'd rather not repeat."

"What!" Jerome held his paws over his heart and feigned pain and shock as he fell back onto the floor, "Our time meant nothing to you."

"No," Mitch said, then cracked a grin as Jerome sat up also grinning. The two of them started laughing, laughing like they've been old friends for a long time. Though that certainly wasn't true.

"Jerome... Why are we acting like this? Like friends. We've both grown up our entire lives hating the other, yet here we are now, laughing like nothing is wrong."

Jerome stayed silent as he pondered Mitch's question, he wasn't entirely sure how to answer him, "Maybe we are wrong. Wrong to be friends, to act like there isn't a barrier between the two of us, but maybe we're right to do so. I can't answer your questions because we are polar opposites. You're rich and loved, I'm poor and hated. Even if we were friends openly in society, I'm still just a filthy criminal."

Jerome paused and looked out the window, a steady breeze was blowing through and ruffling his fur. It calmed and cooled him, "I've done more wrong than good, and Mitch, I can't speak for what you've done, but whatever it is likely puts an even bigger gap between us. You've probably been told to hate morvics, and me, I've grown to hate humans."

"Yeah, but..." Mitch stopped himself and sighed, "My mother never had an opinion on morvics, but at the same time she never interfered as my father was the one who told me everything I know now about morvics. I grew up with the thought that...that morvics were tools to be used and disposed..."

"Do you believe that now?"

"Yes--no...I'm not even sure. My father died just a few days ago, and now I find that out and...and," Mitch's voice shook and Jerome watched him curiously but said no words as he continued, "and yet even dying he still never acknowledges me. A part of me wishes I could throw away everything I've ever learned or gained from him, but another part of me can't bare to see those things go."

Jerome shifted a bit uncomfortably, he wasn't used to all the mushy, feely stuff, especially coming from the prince, but yet he could not leave because he connected in someway. A morvic like him would never gain recognition no matter how hard they try, at least not with the way thins are.

"Do both," Jerome said, he wasn't sure how good of advice it was, but it was the only thing that came to mind that worked with both worlds.

"What? H-how?"

"Keep the knowledge that you value, and work to add your own values and morals to create your own blend."

Mitch stayed silent to think, Jerome heard footsteps outside the door and he immediately jumped up.

"Sh*t!" he hissed, Jerome looked around for a place to hide, Mitch looked up and realized what was going on. He panicked before throwing his blanket on the floor.

"Quick, hide under that and look like trash or laundry or something!" Mitch whisper-shouted.

"What?! I'm not--"

"Don't argue--"

"Mitch, honey, I'm coming in." Mitch heard his mother call out to him. He glanced back quickly at Jerome to see he'd thrown the blankets over himself and laid on the ground. Mitch smiled at the stupid thing, and wanted to laugh but his mother opened the door and came in sparing Jerome the embarrassment.

~~~~~

~One Day Earlier~

Seto felt warmth. Not the kind of thing he'd imagine feeling in Vragan. This warmth was comforting, like the soft embrace of his hands in his mother's hands, or the gentle flush of a flame from a torch or fireplace. Whatever it was Seto liked the feeling, he could stay asleep to this for an eternity, but something itched him, something that urged him to wake up.

Seto opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did, it took him a few minutes to adjust to the dim lighting. Seto sat up, he was lying in a mound of blankets made to look like a bed, the room was small and cluttered and when Seto looked around he saw there was indeed a fire warming him, just not the kind of fire he expected.

Dark blue colored balls of flames danced around him, Seto was shocked, yet amazed. Seto tenderly brought a hand close and found the heat remained the same the entire distance through. No matter if he moved his hand away or close the warmth felt the same from any distance, he sat marveled at the sight. He realized quickly this was magic, magic that was controlled and used like it should be.

"You look well," Seto looked for the voice, and saw a young man, whose hair was the color of gold, (NOT BRICE, just OC) it was short, except the front parts covered his eyes making them hard to see.

"O-Oh, yes, but excuse me, wh-where am I and where are my friends?"

"You're companions are safe in the neighboring building, and you're in Ula'ree. Your carriage crashed just near our village and we came to help."

"O-OH! Thank you so much...?" Seto didn't know the man's name.

"Retro, I know it is an odd name, it is more of a nickname per se."

"I-it's fine," Seto turned to roll off the odd bed and stood up. He looked around and pointed at the flames, "Are these yours?"

"Yes, I hope they were warm enough."

"They were! Thank you, and these are amazing," Seto gushed.

He laughed, "I believe your friends are awake if you'd like to see them," Retro gestured to outside the doorway.

"Oh, yes! Thank you," Seto moved to the doorway and Retro led the way.

~~~~~

Whoop, I updated even though I'm on a plane! :D

Now that this is posted I'm gonna finish planning the rest of Destiny Calls, I think I can finish it soon.

Also, I want to say, that if you LOVE Falling to Rise, Grasping Fate, or Destiny Calls, I highly suggest looking at my book called Tips, Tricks, and Art Stuff. Reason being is that I post a lot of stuff related to these books. 

-Fun facts

-Polls

-Eventually more Art

-Details on the world

-QnA's

-EVENTUALLY a contest, I hope in the future

I want to provide you guys everything you could possibly know about this world and the characters. Also, this book is not just stuff on my books, I'll hopefully be able to put out art tutorials, and maybe tips for writing

~WrittenDarkness