A heavy, gray mist swirls around me as I open my eyes.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head. "No. Not now. Please."

Only a second ago, I was in the arms of my dream, my reverie, Seraphus. I was receiving my true first and unforgettable kiss and now I'm here again. In this darkness that surrounds me. In this strange and frightening place.

It's a vision. I now understand the distinction between it and illusions. In visions, I'm an observer with no power, no way to defend myself or save myself. I just have to be here.

And what's waiting for me? The dead again? I'm afraid of them already. I'm so afraid of them. I know the pain.

Clenching my fists, I check for powers, and there are none. I don't even feel it. I can't even feel my body, like I don't weigh anything in this place. A whitish mist of darkness thickens around me. I squat down and touch the ground with my fingers. It's damp and loose and...something is different. It's not dead earth. I just know it is. It's not the land of the dead.

Suddenly, as if somewhere in the distance, outlines begin to appear, but they are blurred by the fog. I can only see silhouettes. And these silhouettes aren't moving. It's something tall and there's fabric developing on it...it's a flag. I take a step, then another, and step on something hard. Dropping my head, I crouch down again and pick up the metal corroded helmet stained with blood. Nervously licking my lips, I clutch the helmet in my hand and slowly move on. Somewhere in the distance, a fire flares up and goes out. I step on something hard again, and it turns out to be a broken sword, then a piece of armor. This is a battlefield. It's a wartime battlefield. I can't explain where I'm at otherwise, because there's too much protective armor. And it's all dirty and bloody, broken, mangled and abandoned. Throwing aside the helmet, I walk on, carefully picking my way around the pieces of metal. There is silence. Again, somewhere in the distance, a torch or a fire flares up and dies out. I turn around and see no one around me. The fog doesn't let me see very well, just a blur.

The unexpected clang of metal makes me flinch. A growl and the clang of metal again. I walk towards the noise. I run. The clang of metal becomes more distinct and at some point I freeze, hitting an invisible wall. They won't let me go any further. I place my palms on the wall and look to where I hear the sound of battle. The two swords meet again, and that's where the flash of fire comes from. A spark. There are many of them. They fly apart. The fog becomes less thick and I can see. I see two men fighting fiercely on swords. One of them is wearing dark armor and a helmet, dark red, messy hair peeking out from underneath. And the other... his platinum braid flicks upward, and he deflects the blow. The light-colored uniform is covered with blood and dirt stains. He deflects the blow again, moving with his back to me.

"Stop," I ask, hitting the barrier between us. "The war is over. Stop."

But no one hears me. The dark one keeps coming at the light one, and he fights back. I can tell by his trembling hand that the light one is exhausted, tired. The dark one strikes and the light one flies off to the side. He falls to the ground and raises his head. There is a deep cut on his cheek with blood oozing from it. His nose is smashed, as are his lips. His bright eyes flash with rage, and he turns around as he is attacked again. And he can't get up. He hisses something through clenched teeth, meeting the blow with his sword. The dark one stumbles back, but immediately strikes again.

"No!" I shout as everything on the elf's chest turns purple. Blood begins to drip from the elf's lips. He rises up, trying to hold on until the end. But he can't even lift the sword anymore. It falls from his hands and the dark one attacks. The sword pierces the elf's stomach, and then again and again. My heart clenches with monstrous pain, watching this murder. The elf's handsome face is mangled in pain as he falls to the ground. The dark one jumps up and brings his sword over the elf's neck.

"No!" I cover my face with my palms. I can't even hear the elf's death rattle. I can't look at it. I can't...my whole chest is on fire with unbearable pain for him. My legs shake, and I cry. A cry of pain bursts from my throat, as if I knew this elf, as if he was family...someone very close to me.

Tears run down my cheeks as I raise my head and whimper. And then I notice the dark, haze-covered sky overhead. Sobbing, I look around and there is no more battlefield. There's nothing. Wiping my face with my palms, I stand up and slowly walk forward. I can't get away from what I've seen. Who was he? Who is going to be killed? My visions are coming true in the creepiest way possible. So someone's going to get hurt. Lua? But he didn't look like a Lua.

My thoughts are cut short when I see a lone silhouette standing alone up ahead. My pulse jumps to my throat as I recognize the black hair waving in the wind.

"Seraphus," I whisper, breaking into a run. "Seraphus!"

And then I realize. He's standing on the edge of the cliff. He's standing there alone, spreading his arms and letting himself go.

"No! Seraphus!" With a desperate cry, I leap after him into the abyss. My arms wrap around his body and we fly down. My ears are ringing from the speed we're going down. We'll crash. We'll die. We'll both die if we don't get help.

"Mother! Help!" I scream, squinting and clutching Seraphus's body. "Help! Help! Come to us! Help!"

A bright light suddenly spreads under us. It blinds me and I scream in pain, this light burning me. But we're flying straight towards it. We're flying into it. And it consumes me. It enters my mind, my heart, my blood. A flash of white light hits my eyes, and I unclench my hands.

With a cry, I open my eyes, blinking often. The dim light is pleasant now, though my vision is still cloudy.

"That's... that's it, Kan, babe, it's over," Seraphus strokes my face and I sob, panting often. "That's it, you're back, Kan. You're back. It's over. It's okay."

Seraphus pulls me close, and I don't know what to think. I don't know. I don't understand. I'm sitting on his bed, Seraphus rocking me from side to side, convincing me that it's over. But no, it's just the beginning. I saw...

"What the hell, Seraphus? What the fuck did you do?" An unfamiliar and full of irritation voice fills the bedroom. Seraphus instantly tenses up and lets me go. He turns around and sighs.

"Ellior?" He whispers.

And that's when I look out from behind Seraphus to see the Elven Crown Prince standing in the middle of Seraphus' room.

I immediately catch a light and cool breeze mixed with the scent of flowers and the freshness of the forest. And it is such a contrast against Seraphus. His scent is heavy and sweet, while the elf's is smooth, light and like a peaceful mountain river. My heart slows its rhythm in delight at the gorgeousness before us.

His platinum hair is tightly gathered into a high ponytail, making his facial features seem more vivid, predatory, and expressive. His face is woven of noble lines of delicate, elven beauty. He looks like a sculpture created by the Mother herself, with pointed ears pierced in several places, a high forehead, an even and graceful nose, and plump pinkish lips, now angrily pressed into a single line. But those eyes...oh, Mother, I now understand why there was so much gossip about the prince in the kingdom. Those eyes are incredible, a little slanted with slyness, light and sparkling with indignation and fury, framed by dark lashes. His white shirt is undone by a few buttons, revealing thin silvery patterns on his chest. And such an honor was reserved only for special beings, the Mother's favorites. Tall, statuesque and yet graceful, supple at the same time. Even his posture seems unbelievable, though it's ordinary.

I'm fascinated by this beauty. I'm at a loss for words. I guess the prince is used to such a reaction to his appearance, but I'm not used to seeing the princes of our world so close. Lua differs greatly from him, and even Stellare has nothing in common with Ellior's appearance. They're completely different.

"What the fuck did you do? What right did you have to summon me?!" Ellior shouts out. His face is contorted with rage, and he exposes his sharp teeth. Four sharp fangs glint menacingly in the candlelight.

"I didn't summon you," Seraphus replies slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you didn't summon me. And I'm here of my own free will?! First you were in the deadly agony making me in pain for a whole damn day! Now you play with my hormones, and finally you summoned me here! You summoned me, damn you, Seraphus! How dare you?" Ellior jumps up to the still shocked Seraphus and grabs him by the shirt. He lifts him up violently and shakes him.

"How dare you use spells to restore our bond! How dare you? You swore that it's over between us! Bastard!" Ellior pushes Seraphus away with contempt, and the latter allows him to. Seraphus sits down on the ottoman, staring at the elf with all eyes.

There, I recognize what Ellior looks like. He's handsome, as all elves are. I've even seen his battle form. And everything is starting to fall into place in my mind.

"He didn't summon you, Your Highness," my voice sounds surprisingly calm. It's like I can't feel anything anymore.

Ellior turns his head and frowns, shifting his dark ashy eyebrows. It's like he's just now realizing they're not alone. I get out of bed and ignore the pain in my chest. Give him Seraphus. Let go of Seraphus. Forget everything. Do the right thing. I have to.

"And who are you?" Ellior wrinkles his nose, giving me a scornful look, then glares with fury at Seraphus. "Ah, you got yourself a boy toy, Seraphus. Of course, that was the reason for my sudden horniness. And how did you do that? So I've been tormented all these centuries by my inability to get even a little bit of pleasure, and in the meantime, you found a cure and didn't tell me about it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Seraphus shakes his head and tsks, standing up from the ottoman. "This is my student."

"Of course, that's how it's called now. Don't forget, I studied here too, Seraphus. And you fuck him. Admit it," Ellior pokes a finger with many sparkling stones at Seraphus. Okay, I guess Stellare was right. Ellior isn't really nice.

"Oh, Mother," Seraphus rolls his eyes. "Get back to your place, Ellior. No one here wants to see you, especially not me."

"You're the one who summoned me!" Ellior shrieks, stomping his foot. "You pulled me here! You..."

"It was me," I interrupt him indifferently.

"What? You?" Ellior snorts, looking me over again. I can see him better now. Eyes the color of steel with a violet glow are beautiful.

"Yes, it was me," I nod. "Or rather, it was my vision. It summoned your light, your power, Your Highness."

"What is he talking about?"

"Kan, what did you see?" Seraphus, ignoring Ellior, walks up to me and reaches out his hand to touch me, but I step aside. No, if he touches me, I won't be able to do what I have to do. Here they are. They're in front of me. The two true ones. They should be together. And me? I'll accept the truth.

"He'll be killed." I cast a glance at Ellior. "I saw him fight the dark one, and he was killed. And then you will die, Seraphus."

"What's he talking about?" Ellior hisses.

"That's what will happen if you two don't solve the problem," I snarl angrily. "I guess you're wondering what the problem is now, Your Highness, aren't you? Has your memory faded or has the crown squeezed your pretty head so hard that you've forgotten that he's in charge of your overall decisions here?"

I point a finger at Seraphus.

"Or have you also forgotten that you left him here alone? Failed to stand up for him? Allowed him to be attacked? No, why would you think such a thing, right? You're doing just fine, Your Highness." I curved my lips wryly.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I'll get you..."

"Ellior, shut your mouth!" Seraphus growls at him. "We'll deal without you. Go away. I didn't summon you. And what happens to me is no longer your business."

"No, no, no, no," I shake my head and meet Seraphus's tense gaze. "You're not going to do it again, damn it. You're going to stop accepting all of this for granted! Enough of this. He showed up here for a reason. It's time for both of you to get your heads out of the sand and deal with your problems! Both of you. That's enough. Because of both of you, others are suffering."

"Kan..."

"No, Seraphus, you won't change my mind that he doesn't belong here. This is his place. He belongs exactly where he is. It's right next to you. Are you two completely blind? Yes, they've tried to break your bond, but it's there. You both know it, and you're afraid of it. You're afraid. You're cowards, that's all. You're both cowardly, hiding in corners, turning a blind eye to all the hardship, just so you don't rebel against some bloody elders. You said yourself, Seraphus, you and Ellior are stronger than your fathers. You are stronger! If you don't solve this, you'll die. Both of you. You'll die and there'll be war. I've seen war, Seraphus!"

He covers his eyes and runs his palm through his hair.

"You're both leading things to war if you don't get a grip on yourselves right now and solve the damn problem. But there's really no problem. You're true to each other. Oh, Mother, you idiots," I slap my hands together angrily, glaring at both of them. "You," I point at Ellior and he snorts, "are still feeling all of Seraphus' feelings. And he wasn't dying. I was dying. I protected Seraphus from the assassination attempt by covering him with my own body."

"An assassination attempt?" Ellior shifts his gaze from me to Seraphus.

"It's..."

"Don't you dare!" I raise my voice. "Don't even think about saying it doesn't mean anything. It means a lot. This isn't the first time you've been attacked. You've been stalked. You were almost put into a coma, but I took the hit. No, I'm not regretting it. I'd do it a million more times, Seraphus, but what happens next? The dissenters are here. They're watching you, and now they're watching me. Mother wouldn't have brought Ellior here if you didn't need him. But you need him as much as he needs you. I asked for Mother's help in my vision, begged her for it. And she brought Ellior here, so it's time. That's the point. You have to admit you've both lost. You lost against yourselves. You've allowed your enemies to gain the strength to attack again and again. And then what? War!"

I turn away, clenching my fists.

"I saw it," I whisper bitterly. "I saw it... I saw how you died," I glare at Ellior. "Saw you fighting someone with dark red hair. Long hair, he was the dark one. He killed you in front of me. He cut off your head. And Seraphus killed himself. He jumped off the cliff. I tried to catch him, but I jumped after him and then we both fell into a tunnel of light. Your light, Ellior. You saved Seraphus in my vision. That's why you're here. Because he needs you and you need him. And it will all happen soon, very soon. How long has it been since I was torn apart by the dead? Not long. Am I lying, Seraphus? Has my past vision not come true?"

"No, you're not lying. It will come true, and more than once," he shakes his head.

"So there will be a war, and very soon. Or some kind of battle, because there were helmets and swords and other things lying around. Everything was covered in the blood of the fallen. Literally everything. I couldn't do anything to help Ellior because he's not mine. He's yours, Seraphus. And the fact that you've begun to feel as he did speaks volumes. Your fathers haven't succeeded in destroying your bond. It's still there. It's still inside you, and you have a duty to protect the others, not act like cowards. You're no longer young, you're both grown up, and this is your chance. Mother, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Don't you realize that? Unique. You are destroying both yourself and the world by rejecting such a gift."

"A gift?" Ellior hisses with disgust. "You brat, you know nothing! It's not a gift, it's a curse! We're killing each other! We did everything, so that there was peace!"

"Yeah, sure, who am I?" I snicker crookedly. "A stupid kid, nothing in your eyes, right, Your Highness?" I wrinkle my nose contemptuously, looking into the prince's anger with glaring eyes. "Oh, how can I talk to you like that? I can and I will. You won't do anything to me, Ellior. Because thanks to me, you know that if you don't get over your pride, you will die and kill Seraphus. I'm not afraid of you. And yes, I consider your bond a gift. A gift cannot kill. Mother would never have given you such a gift if it meant death. It's you who brings death with your poor choices and your denial of the Mother's gift. You are punishing yourself. Yes, there are difficulties, but there is always a solution while you're alive. That's the point. While you're alive. If you keep acting like children, you'll both be dead. Both of you, and I don't want that. You have to pull yourselves together, talk, get to the truth, tell each other what's really going on. And since there have been attempts on Seraphus, there have been attempts on you too, Ellior. It's just that you're better protected than Seraphus. You don't gratefully accept these assassination attempts like he did. You don't blame yourself for anything, he does. That's the difference. And no, I'm not anticipating things. I can't read minds, it's just logic. Since the dissenters are already openly attacking and threatening, they know your weaknesses and their strength. It's time to get a grip. Now is the time. And now it's your responsibility to think things through very carefully. I've seen death. Your death. You don't want to believe me, that's your right. But I'll tell the headmaster, and then he'll set you both straight."

I walk past them both, heading for the second room.

"Kan, wait," Seraphus catches up to me and manages to grab my arm. "Wait, now."

"Don't." I shake my head, pulling my hand away. "I'm sorry I said all that. I'm sorry for talking to both of you like that. I probably don't have the right, or maybe I do. But it came out of me, so it's the right thing to do now. Decide, Seraphus. Solve it. Please. I don't want to watch you die. I won't... can't."

My eyes burn with tears, but I hold them back. Seraphus' gaze is full of bitterness. And that bitterness isn't because of what I said. It's because of what happened before the vision. He kissed me. He did, and I kissed him back. And now I'm losing him. I'm giving him away. Letting him go.

"Kan," Seraphus whispers, running his palm over my cheek. Behind him, I see Ellior watching us. I step back and withdraw myself from his warmth. My heart languishes in pain. Letting go. Deny. Again. To fall so foolishly in love with the wrong man and let him go, for the good of their love, for the good of Mother's choice.

"We need to talk about..."

"It doesn't matter," I interrupt Seraphus. "Absolutely, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" He squints his eyes.

"No, it doesn't matter. You're my teacher, and I'm grateful for everything, Seraphus. But let it stay that way. He's waiting for you. I will return to the healing block. Please talk to him, explain everything to him. Save both of you. You have to."

I turn away and rush out of Seraphus' room. I shut the door quietly and run, unable to see where I'm going. Tears roll down my face, and I slam my whole body into the wall. It stops me. Covering my mouth with the palm of my hand, I squint in pain to take away this burden of rejection from the one I fell in love with. I fell in love so hard with someone else's man. I had no right to, but I didn't choose it. It just happened.

"Why, Mother, why?" I whisper, feeling the salt of my tears. "Why did you give him to me and take him away so quickly? Why? So I could help him? Them? All right, so be it. Then take this pain from my heart. Take it away. Give me freedom. Give me a chance to leave this place. Please, just get it off. Get it off."