Introducing Castrin Madarlon....he has a nice face. ^_^

"Right there. By the old steps next to the tavern."

The order coming from Alesandria's mouth met Onyx's sharp instincts and her legs slowly began to process the message, the magic in her body becoming more inactive as her emerald ringed eyes locked on her destination.

Loosening her grip around Alesandria's shoulders, she persuaded her legs to stop directly in front of the old steps by the tavern, the heel of her boots scuffing the floor as she did so.

A song rang through the air, a bird flying above the two girls as the sensational feeling of being one with the clouds evaporated the minute they touched the ground, the taste of the salty air no longer lingering on their bare skins.

Stabling herself on the first step by the tavern, Onyx took in her surroundings, first noticing the putrid smell that lingered by the discarded barrels before taking note of the small tavern that stood next to them.

The windows seemed to be tinted, perhaps by magic with a yellow glow to it, but inside the bar, she could smell the strong alcohol pouring in glass cups and the drunken laughter of men and women. Children voices were heard too, scrambling around unknown areas.

"Where are we going exactly?" the assassinating warrior asked, turning back to see the brunette hanging back on the cobblestone path they had landed on. "Please don't tell me you are in desperate need of alcohol after what happened."

The girl simply shook her head, letting her fingers curl around the material of her dress before she raised it up and allowed her delicate feet to graze the first step. "If I wanted alcohol right now, I would at least head to a tavern that provided a nice glass of Trojan Wine" she said, letting a small smile slip on her lips

"There is a magical being here, my friend. He has been helping me and doing some research on the possibilities of my strange powers" Alesandria explained, gesturing down the stairs as she walked along.

Keeping her sword close to her, Onyx followed, the steps growing steeper as they descended down the stairs. "I was going to him earlier before hell broke loose in the market" the village girl explained, her voice cracking on the last few words.

Looking up to the sky which was a darkening violet color peppered with gray clouds, the assassinating warrior spoke with truth, "You gave them the reaction they wanted. Of course, no one can control emotions but they can control their urges and you didn't."

A wooden door met both of the girls as they came down the last step, golden scriptures and designs decorating the middle of the door in a signature cross. A mighty phoenix was the shape of the door handle, red rubies for eyes.

"I'm sorry" Alesandria apologized in a soft tone, rattling her knuckles on the soft wood of the door. "But not all of us can act cold" she continued, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ears.

"A knife to the eye will make anyone act cold, darling" the assassinating warrior simply replied, letting the grip on her sword tighten, the red ruby burning a print into the flesh of her palms.

Green-grey eyes widened in fear and the girl returned her attention to the door as the knob turned and it squeaked open, no light penetrating through as nothing but darkness met their eyes. Dust plumed from the floor in high clouds, cobwebs intertwining themselves into a great masterpiece on the ceiling.

The Mind Siphon followed the brunette as she entered through the dark halls with no hesitation, the sound of her dress dragging against the cold floors echoing off the walls. Cautiously, Onyx tucked her blade away and turned around a corner to reveal another flight of twisting stairs that led to an even darker basement.

"Did you say this person was your friend or a lazy person that couldn't find the decency to at least light a few candles?" Onyx commented, following Alesandria as they descended down the stairs.

Laughter rang through the thick atmosphere, the click of heels kissing the concrete stairs. "He's my friend and he knows what he's doing. Turn right" the village girl instructed, picking up the material of her gown once again as she turned quickly to the right.

"For his sake hopefully he does." Letting a sigh escape her lips, the assassinating warrior turned right and walked right into a room littered with books. Well, she couldn't even call it a room. It was more like a corridor with towering column designs and windows placed up high.

The smell of old magic and dust lingered around the room, shards of broken glass littered on the floor and the dimming flame of the candle swaying gently even though there was no possible wind drafting in between the next hallway and the current room they were in.

"Castrin. It's me Alesandria!" the dark haired brunette bellowed out into the open air. "I want you to meet someone" she said, dropping the skirt of her dress to the floor once more. "I promise she doesn't bite"

Onyx couldn't hold the snort that escaped her lips at the last sentence, shrugging to herself even though they both knew the truth. As if on cue, two seconds later an enormous chill slithered into the room, causing goosebumps to arrive on the warrior's arm. A huge gust of wind blew through the room, ruffling all the book pages to open. Papers flew across the room in a large storm, the clouds of dust and cobwebs following it.

Before she could even blink, a figure, a living breathing being, materialized before her eyes in their tall glory. Long arms, not too tan yet not too muscular reached out for a hand. Luxurious black hair sprouted from the being's hair, curls tangling together. The young man was dressed head to toe in midnight black, his long black coat tickling the floor.

"Alesandria, my dear" he spoke, his voice intertwined with an accent Onyx couldn't decipher, his words laced with hard symbols she couldn't quite understand. His deep voice seemed to be familiar to the Alesandria as she quickly pulled at the string that kept her hood together, letting fall off her head before running over to him.

"Castrin!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. His deep voice filled the room, arms circling around her waist as he hugged her in a friendly embrace. Feeling the heat creep up on her face, Onyx let her cloak shrug off her shoulders, letting her eyes trace the cracks of the floor.

"How have you been doing?" Castrin asked, tucking a stray of dark hair around Alesandria's ear. "Any mishaps in the last few weeks? Why are you covered in blood, my dear?" he continued, letting go of her hand. A cheeky smile nudged at the edge of her lips, green-grey eyes turning around to the Mind Siphon.

"Castrin, I want you to meet someone" the village girl said, walking over in quick strides to stand by the assassinating warrior. Onyx frowned, folding her arms over her chest. She looked up to meet the gaze of Castrin's intense stare, his lips pulled into a thin line, flecks of dark cerulean dancing with sparkles of violet in his serious eyes.

There was something about, alluring and lurking that held the warrior's stare. Something that sparked a fire inside her soul, gold eyes ringed with emerald searching through his own eyes. Finally, she nodded her head and said in a cold tone, "Onyx Ashrevion. Mind Siphon" she greeted, feeling the words push out of her mouth.

In any other situation, Onyx would have lied about her identity. The only one that was supposed to know about her true name was Alesandria of course but something about the intense gaze of Castrin's stare conjured the urge for her to speak the truth. A power that frightened her.

"Mind Siphon" he said in a deep tone, his mysteriously rare eye darting between the two girls. "Looks like you have a friend Alesandria" he uttered, a small smile slipping on his lips, hands intertwined together. A laugh escaped the brunette's lips, her cheeks blazing a fire hue.

Clearing her throat, the assassin simply said "Alesandria's powers are out of control. She's displaying clear possible signs of her Siphon heritage but another side of her is trying to keep her mortal." Golden eyes darted over to the village girl who stood silently in the corner. "If this continues to happen, she might get slaughtered."

"I am well aware of that Onyx" he responded back to her, blue eyes flickering over to one of the books that sat perched on a tall stack of leather bounded books. "But in all the years I have known her, Alesandria has never displayed any powers that would link her to a possible Siphon heritage until last year."

Nodding his head at one of the stacks of books, he raised his hand, a cloud of dark smoke littered stars of magic dancing around his fingertips towards the book stack. A black leather bound book with no title flew down, beige pages flying open as it landed in his soft grip.

The assassin was intrigued, floored as her eyes danced on the red veins that shimmered beneath his skin for a few seconds before they dimmed into nothing. His scent, wild and lingering, met her nostrils and a familiar trigger set off her senses, gold eyes narrowing into slits.

Keeping her movements cautious, Onyx walked over to him, choosing to stand at a distance that allowed her to see the words written on the pages but not too close that she could smell his scent once again. Flipping a few hundred pages in, Castrin nudged the book towards her, dropping it in her hands.

"Siphons are one of the greatest beings known to wander around the grounds of Asxairo for thousands of years. Their unique elemental and mental powers combined with their skilled training in the art of assassinations have made them rulers of the mind, soul, and hell for years" she read in a flat tone, her eyes tracing over the ancient words scribbled on the pages. Castrin nodded, making his way over to Alesandria who has been silently listening, tucked away in her corner. His hands cupped her face gently, pushing strands of hair away from her face.

Clearing his throat, he read in a steady voice, his words precise to the ones written in the book. "The power and heritage of Siphon magic can be passed on to an offspring if both of their parents are also Siphons of the same species" he informed, turning Alesandria's cheek to the right, his violet speckled eyes examining her skin for any imprint of her Siphon heritage. "But Alesandria's parents have only ever been mortal their entire life. So it couldn't possibly be that."

Clutching the book tightly in her grip, the assassinating warrior sighed, letting her nails dig through the leather fabric. "Someone from each side of the family could have easily been a Siphon and passed on their powers to her" she suggested, her gold eyes inspecting the village girl who stayed silently listening.

"Then there would have been a mark on her skin indicating her half Siphon heritage but nothing stands out as a symbol on her skin" he corrected her, letting his hands clutch the nape of the brunette's neck gently. "Keep reading."

Struggling not to drop the book to the floor and grab her sword from her cloak and run the blade through his neck, the Mind Siphon growled and spoke through clenched teeth, "However, a mortal being with two mortal parents can still possess Siphon powers if they are born under the celebration of the Crescent Fall Moon where the gods above the heavens distribute magical powers that fall upon mortal beings."

The familiar word struck an empty void in Onyx's soul, her fingers gently setting down that damned book on the floor where it belonged. The Crescent Fall Moon has only been a banned celebration across several kingdoms who wished not to corrupt their people. A being born under the celebration was deemed a curse and was immediately isolated.

"If Alesandria was born under the Crescent Fall Moon as that wretched book suggests" the assassinating warrior said, moving closer towards Castrin and Alesandria. "She wouldn't be alive. She would have been killed already and burned to ashes."

Vulgar words like that made Alesandria hiss, her green-grey eyes nearly growing out of her face as she absorbed the information that was being spoken. "I am not suggesting she is born on that specific day" Castrin merely explained, letting go of the village girl's neck as he turned to face the warrior. "I am merely saying it is a possibility. There are many contributions to this."

"Contributions?" Onyx snarled, darting her eyes over to Alesandria who clutched the skirt of her dress in both hands, feet planted deeply on the floor. "There are no contributions. Today in the market, one single emotion was all it took to trigger her magic to unleash a storm of light and fire. Her magic killed people, caused a chaos. There is a part of her that is trying to obtain it all but her magical side can not control it. It wants to break free."

The small room stacked with heavy books was silent, not even a breath of air escaping a being's mouth as her words echoed off the walls and into the hallways, evaporating in the darkness.

The dark blue orbs flecked with violet stars held the assassin's gaze, burning a hole inside her soul that she tried to close. He stared at her with intensity, with anger, the veins in his arms burning red once again as he clutched his knuckles tight. The slightest whiff of his intoxicating scent lingered around the room and triggered her senses once again, golden eyes narrowing against his gaze.

Alesandria stood in the back, her hands clutching a book in her hand as her eyes darted between the two magical beings, her lips sealed shut as she was too afraid to say something that would trigger another wave of anger between the two.

Seconds, maybe minutes passed before Castrin finally gave up, breaking his gaze off the determined Mind Siphon. Silently, he walked over to a deeper section of his collection of books, pushing some aside as he attempted to pull out a drawer.

Golden hinges were crushed underneath his powerful grip and the drawer fully opened to reveal a brown bag sitting in the middle, black ancient symbols written across the front of the object. His hands curled around it, pulling it out as he shut the drawer and made his way back to the two girls.

"Skaeu dibts" he spoke in the ancient tongue of Sacri, a common language spoken across the Kingdom of Serius. "Star buds" he translated when he saw the confused expression on Onyx's face. "They are special seeds from the crescent flower. Two of these a day crushed into her meal should be able to detain her magic" he explained, tucking the bag safely in Alesandria's hands.

"Thank you" she said, smiling gently at him as she accepted the bag and tucked it in the safety of the sewn-in pocket inside her hoodie. "I will make sure to do so."

A wiry smile slipped on Castrin's lips, his hands patting her shoulders lightly. "I will continue searching for an answer but remember I have faith you, SoulBreather. Never forget that" he assured, squeezing her hands gently. Alesandria simply smiled, bowing her head once more.

She made her way slowly over to Onyx, a book clutched in her hand and the beginning of a smile nudging at her lips when he stopped her once more. "Alesandria, would you mind waiting upstairs. I have some important things to discuss with Onyx."

Onyx herself was surprised at his announcement, watching with careful eyes as he reassured the village girl everything would be fine. With a frown on her face, she simply nodded her head and trotted her way dow the stairs.

It was only when her footsteps were far enough that no one could hear that Castrin showed no mercy or caution, his movements fast as lightning as he clutched the Mind Siphon around her throat, fingers embedding themselves in her skin.

The Siphon's lungs burned for air, the tops of her boots merely grazing the dusty floor. Her eyes felt light, losing alignment and concentration and her own voice struggled to make it past the base of her throat.

"I am entrusting you with Alesandria's life and well-being" Castrin said, pressing Onyx's back against one wall with the least books. A cloud of black smoke and littered stars danced around his fingertips once again, red veins burning deep into his skin. "I know how you Mind Siphons love to manipulate people, trick them to believe their wrong is their right."

Words could barely escape the Siphon's lips, her nails digging deep into the skin of Castrin's hands. His grip only tightened, the soft sound of her throat slowly being crushed underneath all the weight in his grip. Minty breath with the slight smell of smoke lingered on his breath, teeth bared with saliva.

"I don't care where you come from, who sent you, or who you really are" he seethed through locked teeth. "I am you will take care of her. If she even returns with a single scratch on her skin, a single hair out of place, I promise you, I will grab you and squeeze the life out of you, you ungrateful, damned Mind Siphon." At the last words, his eyes swirled inside their orbs, flushing into a darker, more serious hue of midnight. Tiny, sparkling dots encrusted the outside of his eyes, violet flecks dancing across an almost pitch black surface.

Castrin's scent was overpowering her senses, her instincts. That scent, a deadly combination of late rain at night and burning ashes, seeped into her nose, her mind, letting her whole system. Her whole body was telling her what he was, what species he belonged to. Warning her to be more careful around him. She could feel the growth of her nails sink deeper into his skin, the surge of her magic overflowing her body with an unfamiliar sense of power. She was craving, needing a rush of magic to overflow her system.

"Dark magic summoner. That is what you are" Onyx finally managed to stutter out in a broken voice, coughing violently as his grip on her throat loosened. A simple, cheeky smile slipped on his lips and he shrugged, holding her gaze intensely.

"It took you long enough to figure, your insufferable immortal" he practically hissed at her, letting the anger in his body slowly drain into her system so she could feel his rage. Another violent cough escaped the Siphon's lips, her face flushing into a tint of blue as she struggled for air to pass through her body.

"I will twist your neck in half until every single bone in that foul body of yours is snapped into bits, you damned shadow disgrace of a summoner" Onyx wheezed out of her constricted throat, narrowing her eyes at him.

A laugh escaped Castrin's lips, followed by a snarl. "I dare you to even lay a finger on me, stupid Siphon. Your cries of agony will be pleasing to my ears." He curled his fingers deeper into her throat until they broke through the first little barriers of skin and sunk deep into her flesh, black blood dripping down the curve of her neck.

Another wince escaped out of Onyx's lips, her strength no match to the Dark Magic summoner. Every attempt at breathing she took felt like a sickening stab of ice plunging deep into her lungs, painfully tearing her apart. A violent cough crawled out her lips once more, using her free arm to wipe off the blood on her lips.

The violet specked, midnight black eyes of Castrin's gaze drifted down to her arm, his forehead creasing as he stared at the bare skin. Something, a warning, an emotion, flashed in his eyes and instantly his whole face changed. His eyes were lingering on her face, taking in every single curve, every single detail of her face as he held her by the throat.

His grip seemed to loosen around her throat, something softening in his ever gazing eyes. He didn't seem too determined to kill her now, his nails prying off her neck. But the way the red veins in his arms burned through his skin suggested he wouldn't mind bashing her head into a concrete floor.

With grace, the Dark Magic Summoner moved his lips close to the Mind Siphon's ear, his breath brushing past the top curve of her ear. "You are no longer of use to me. Keep your mouth shut and keep her safe." Merely whispering those words into her ear, his hot breath tickling the sides of her skin as he withdrew from her ear, he threw the Siphon across the hall, her body crashing into the concrete wall as her head made contact with the polished floors.

The crack of her bones snapping as she groaned on the floor was blissful enough to make him smile mischievously at her suffering body.

Turning around towards his endless tunnel of knowledge, his silhouette, with no warning, walked into the maze of books and disappeared.

"May I ask you a question?"

The quiet walls of the house projected Alesandria's voice more, her hand folded into her lap. Her head was hung low, strands of dark locks escaping her low ponytail.

Beside her was Onyx, her tired figure curled into a ball, her cloak off and hanging from a nail on the wall. Her sword slept beside her, tucked underneath her warm sheets of the blanket.

"Ask away" she replied back in a grumpy voice, too tired to even get up and position herself upright to talk to her. Her feet shuffled around the quiet floor, not a single breath speaking as of now

No one had been home when they arrived late at night, a plate of food covered with a platter sitting on a table with the words, 'I will talk to you tomorrow' written across the platter. Alesandria seemed too relieved, her red cheeks blazing with anger as she retrieved a towel and wiped away her own mother's words.

After that, she had made her way upstairs to check on her sleeping brother, making sure he was safe before proceeding to come back downstairs. She had gathered some blankets in her hands and made them into what seemed like a comfortable bed on the floor, beckoning Onyx to stay with her for the night.

Having nowhere to sleep for the night, the assassin had accepted the offer, stepping out of her dress to take a quick bath to wash all the blood off her body before changing into the provided sleeping gown for her.

Both of them swaddled in blankets, Alesandria turned around to meet the assassin's back, deep scars embedded into her skin from years of fighting for freedom and the punishments she had been given.

"What did Castrin talk to you about?" she asked in a worried yet curious tone, her nails digging into her own blanket. She couldn't see the assassin's reaction, only the way her fingers dug into her pillow.

"Don't worry about him" Onyx reassured her in a glum, flat tone. "It's all about keeping you safe and making sure we can find answers to explain your sudden source of magic."

"Why me, though? Why are you helping me? You have other things to worry about" the village girl said, her green-gray eyes tracing the light scars etched on her skin. She longed to touch those scars, to know the mystery, the pain, the stories behind them

A frustrated sigh escaped the Siphon's lips, her back still facing her. "I told you I was sent here to this foolish kingdom to help you. There are many dangers around you. Might as well have someone to keep you safe."

There was impatience in her voice, her body shifting further away from Alesandria as she tried to will herself to go to sleep. Understanding the simple gesture, Alesandria sighed deeply and turned over on her side and fluttered her eyes close to fall asleep.

"What was your relationship with Jaris? The man that raped you?" The question materialized out of nowhere, slipping past Onyx's lips, her intruigment getting the best of her the more she kept thinking of that one fateful night she found the girl cold and alone.

The question triggered a memory Alesandria didn't want to remember, thinking of all the moments she shared with Jaris before he found out about her magic and used them to abuse her in ways she couldn't imagine.

"Jaris and I were childhood friends. We were involved with each other when we were around thirteen" the village girl began to explain, brushing strands of her hair aside. "Our relationship was like a dream. He was romantic and I was absolutely smitten with him. Every kiss, every word, every smile he gave me sent my heart galloping and a shiver running down my spine. I was in love with him and he was in love with me."

A sad smile slipped on her lips, remembering those days of sunshine and happiness shining through her dreary life. Remembering the intoxicating, dizzying feeling of being in love and never wanting to fall out.

Green-grey eyes continued to trace the never ending scars on Onyx's back and the sides of her arms as she continued with her story. "Then, a few months ago, he found out about my powers. By this time, I have known about my powers for a year and was trying my best to hide them. But he found out and he began using my secret to his advantages" Alesandria's voice was cracking in between her words, the fresh river of hot tears pooling in her eyes.

"I wanted to get out of the relationship. I desperately did. But Jaris forced me to stay. He threatened me, used me, abused me. That night when you found us in the alley, I had told him I was done with the relationship. That we were no longer together. But then he got mad and he forced himself on me and....and he took my pride and my dignity. He was planning to leave me for dead if you hadn't come along."

When all the words in her mouth were choked up by tears and nothing but her misery ran down her face, Alesandria tore her eyes off of Onyx's back and curled herself in a ball to cry. Long, dark hair covered her face as she reflected on the past relationship, wondering why this burden, this curse wanted to ruin her life so badly.

She was alone, miserable, and broken with no lover to hold, a mother who was scared of her, and a powerful magic she never asked for in the first place.

Onyx had been listening, telling herself not to shed a tear as she listened to the choked sobs of the poor girl next to her. A wound in her heart opened, aching as if the girl's misery was her own.

Sniffling to herself, Alesandria looked up to see the Siphon turn around, golden eyes meeting her gaze. The usually stone cold expression of the Siphon's face was now a contorted mask of sympathy and concern. Her fingers reached out to graze past her own pale hand, feeling a sense of a bond being created.

A spark ran through her hand, her eyes darting down to see the Mind Siphon's fingers glow a strange blue magic, her veins also illuminating the color of sapphire jewels in the night. She could feel her magic inside her own body responding back to the magic being despite the other half that tried to tame it, gold veins illuminating brightly to her fingertips.

"W-what is happening?" Alesandria spoke through a shaky voice, watching as the two magic sources flowed between each of their bodies, never touching, never intertwining. "I can feel your pain, your emotions, your struggle. One of the great gifts of a Mind Siphon" Onyx explained to her, her gold eyes darting between their hands. "And you can sympathize with my pain even if you can not feel it all completely yet."

Yet Onyx was wrong, Alesandria realized. She could feel every part of Onyx's life. Her pain, her struggle, her tears, her retching curses and infliction of pain on others. She could feel it all running through her fingertips of the temporary bond between them but she didn't utter a word about it.

"I'm sorry about your lover and what you had to go through. I'm sorry you didn't get to experience what a lifetime of love feels like" the Mind Siphon whispered, gold eyes flickering up to meet the crystal balls that were the brunette's eyes. "Yet, your magic isn't a curse. It's more than that. You'll see."

Alesandria cleared her throat, nodding before pulling her hand away from the Siphon's, the magic flowing between them breaking apart as nothing but the light of their separate magic dimmed into their skin. Onyx's gold eyes flickered downwards, towards the ground, her hand rubbing her neck gently.

Green-grey eyes watched the Siphon, suppressing the question in her throat. She could have said something, anything about the mysterious magic being that had come to help her. She could have asked any question, said any statement, even utter a word of thanks.

Instead, she whispered in a hushed voice "Have you ever been in love?"

The question slipped out of her lips but didn't seem to trigger Onyx, her eyes merely tracing the old lines carved into the wooden. No emotion, no sign of a frown or trace of a raised eyebrow could be seen on her face. Alesandria waited, watching with steady eyes as the Siphon finally opened her mouth after a moment's hesitation.

"No" she simply answered in a flat voice. Without meeting her gaze, she turned over to pull the blankets over her head and fall asleep, leaving Alesandria to question her lies. 

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter!This one took quite a long time to write and edit but I am super happy with the way it came out and detailing to everything is just satisfying!

I feel like in this chapter, you guys will learn a lot about Alesandria and Onyx both and see a different side of them! 

But hey, we got to meet another new main character Castrin who has a very lovely face

In the next chapter and a few more after that, there will be scenes with Rheynoak, Lucien, and Venix as long as some separate chapters featuring Castrin and the interaction of Yagein Washli with her witch clan. Lots to come! Lots more to write!

In the meanwhile, tell me what you think about Castrin and Alesandria's back story with Jaris? Any thoughts on that? How about any scenes that stood out to you the most or something you liked or disliked? Tell, tell, tell!

I'm going to leave off with a gorgeous gif of Castrin 

*sigh* he's so gorgeous! His eyes.....^_^

So tell me what your thoughts on this chapter and don't forget to comment and vote if you liked it!

Until next time!

With love, May