Lucien was awake before the sun the next day.

Bags outlined his eyes and the bones in his back cracked with each twist he did but still, he didn't complain. He had barely gotten any sleep the night before. Between packing for his voyage with Venix and calming down a spiraling Rheynoak, the few hours of rest he received was barely a gift.

Still, he dragged his body from bed, relinquishing in the comfortable mattress for the last time before managing to bathe himself and pull on some decent clothes. His white hair was tied up into a bun, daggers tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

A large black bag sat in the corner of his room, a sad reminder that today was his last day here on the cursed tribal grounds. As strange as seemed, a part of him felt unsure of the departure.

Of course, for the most part, he was excited to escape the hellhole he had been enclosed in for so long but the thought of leaving a place he had once considered home for so long stung a bit. Even the slightest thought of abandoning Rheynoak was too much for him to bear.

Though he knew that the tribe leader has manipulated him all these years, at the end of the day Lucien knew in his heart that loved Rheynoak like a brother. At one point, they were all each other had. They were like family.

A very broken, twisted, painful but still tolerable family.

Leaving felt as if he was being abandoned all over again. Except this time, Venix would be by his side.

As quickly as they appeared, those doubtful thoughts in his mind were quickly replaced by flustered once. They rushed through his mind as the Bloodbone materialized in his mind, her white hair and burning violet eyes they only thing he longed to see soon.

The Kingdom of Exben was far from the tribal grounds, one of the few kingdoms were mortals and immortals coincided in peace. It was a cold desolate place, spring and summer appearing only a few times.

They would have to sail through the rough seas for quite some time. Just the two of them, alone with nothing but the open ocean being their only barrier. The Hell Siphon could only pray that no distractions would direct them off course.

Wrapping a cloak around his shoulders, the Hell Siphon strapped the bag over his shoulders and took one last look at his room. The bright walls covered in paintings seemed duller than before and the blue curtains whispered in the morning breeze. Lucien ran his fingers against the bed sheets, smelling the fragrance of vanilla once more.

His eyes wandered around the walls, aching to take the paintings with him. He couldn't pack everything so he packed what would be essential. Clothes, food, weapons, a map, survival necessities, and a few books to keep him company. Everything else was left untouched, including the memories he was about to leave behind.

Memories he couldn't quite pack. They would only remain exactly what they were. Memories he hoped would stay with him.

Wiping his face of the tear the fell down his cheek, Lucien sighed, taking one last look at the beautiful painting of his sister than hung on the walls of his room. Her eyes seemed to stare back at him, holding secrets he couldn't conjure. He only hoped he hadn't become a memory in her mind as well.

The sound of glass shattering and curtains ripping caught his attention, snapping him out of his gaze. Leaving his room for the last time, the Hell Siphon shut the door and raced to see the source of the commotion. He slowed down when he neared Rheynoak's room.

Taking cautious steps, he neared the tribe leader's door, pressing his ear against it. The sound of glass shattering startled him, his hand hitting the door. The noises inside his room died down, only whimpers and mumbling to be heard.

Hesitantly, Lucien opened the door to his room, just a crack to see what was going on. Shattered artifacts and souvenirs coated the floors, the wrecked tribe leader sitting at the edge of his bed. wearing nothing but sweatpants. The curtains were parted, slivers of orange sunlight slipping in.

"You can come in if you want to. No one is stopping you." Rheynoak's hoarse voice caught him off guard but regardless, Lucien walked into his room, carefully stepping over the broken glass. He also made note of the scratches embedded into the walls and the shredded curtains and cracked windows.

"What happened in here?" Lucien questioned, casting a look over to the tribe leader who sat there, staring out on to his balcony. His hair was matted to his forehead, sweat beading down his face. "Insanity" the tribe leader replied.

His eyes lifted to look up at his right-hand man, scoffing when he saw the bag dangling from his shoulder. "Don't you have a Bloodbone to canoodle with on a boat?"

"She can wait. I'm worried about you, Rheynoak." Another scoff escaped the tribe leader's lips, sarcastic and dry.

"Worried about me? After years together, you are finally worried about me. Isn't that pleasant to hear?" he mumbled to himself, burying his face in his hands. "There is nothing to bother yourself over. I should have known that the truth would show itself at some point. I signed my fate the minute I fulfilled my father's wishes."

Hazel eyes looked Lucien up and down, the silhouette of tears brewing in his eyes. "I should have known you would break away from me one day. I never knew that day would be so hard to face."

"If you want me to stay Rheynoak-"

"No, I don't." The tribe leader got up, facing his friend. "I want you to get the hell away from here and run as far as you can. Don't come back for me, don't worry about me, don't even think about me. You are destined for greater things Lucien. I have known that for so long and now that you are aware of it too, I don't want you to stay here any longer. You need to conquer the path that was laid out for you. With or without me."

Lucien's jaw tightened, his fingers curling but no matter how much he tried to conjure the hatred he had in his soul for Rheynoak, nothing washed over his body. His heart didn't shake or quake but instead, it tore into pieces. Seeing someone he had considered family for so long practically begging him to leave, it left a deep wound.

Rheynoak stared him down with cold eyes, shaking his head. "Just go Lucien, it will hurt less if you do."

"No amount of distance between us will lessen the pain that we both feel right now!"Lucien exclaimed. "We have been bonded together for over three hundred years. We have seen so much. We have bled together, fought together, cried together. We've been each other's salvation even when we thought there was nothing left for us. And yes, I hold resentment towards you for the years of crap and pain you put me through. Hate isn't a big enough word to describe the centuries of damage you have done to me! But don't you dare stand in front of me and spit lies in my face!"

"What else do you want me to do Lucien!" Rheynoak begged, banging his fists against the wooden post of his bed, causing Lucien to jump. Cracks formed, fracturing the fragile structure.

"What more do you want from me? I am trying my best to be sympathetic. I am trying my best to put you on your true path so that I won't be in your life anymore. I am trying so hard to make ends meet but you just keep pushing the envelope. Stop fucking pishing! Hate me! Hate me with every pure bone in your body! Fucking resent me!"

The tribe leader groaned, burying his fingers in his hair. "It will do more good in the end!"

The two magical beings stood in front of each other, their faces flushed red and their fists curled together. Lucien sighed, looking down at his feet to avoid the tribe leader's steel like glare. Rheynoak, on the other hand, seemed less bothered, only hoping that his right-hand man will disappear from his face.

"I would have hoped our last goodbye would be less rigidity" Lucien whispered after minutes had passed. "But now it's clear that I was wrong to hold out much hope."

With a final glance at his friend, Lucien turned around and headed for the door. Before he was able to step out, Rheynoaks voice stopped him in his tracks, his eyes immediately going back to the contemplating tribe leader.

"We'll always be warrior brothers, Lucien," the tribe leader said, a hint of remorse in his words. Be safe on your journey and be careful of that conniving witch. Don't let her sink her fangs into your skin."

Despite those odd choices of words, Lucien nodded, a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll take note of that. Goodbye, Rheynoak."

"Goodbye, Lucien. I wish you much luck." the tribe leader said, nodding.

With a final nod, the Hell Siphon walked out, slamming the door behind him. Finally out of that suffocating room, he allowed himself to sink down on the floor and cry his regrets out until there were no more tears left.

Venix was waiting for him by the ship docks near the sand dunes closest to the shores of the Rovien sea when he arrived.

Her silhouette was distinguishable against the dark bark of the ship, her white hair a signature against the dim early lighting. A wicked sandstorm was brewing, pieces of marble picking at his face as he neared her. He shouted for her name once and she turned around, giving him a pitiful wave.

"Morning" she greeted him when he arrived. Lucien offered her a smile, nodding his head at her. "Morning to you too" he replied back. "Do you have everything you need?" he asked, looking the Bloodbone up and down.

"As much as I can pack" she informed, patting her bag. "I'll survive." Violet eyes smiled at him before looking around the ship docks. "Which one are we taking?" she asked, her hand trailing the nearest boat, a medium sized one name La Keynia.

"Follow me, curious one." With a scoff, Venix followed him through rows of boats, ranging in all different sizes. It was like a maze, each boat having its own personality and its own functions. From all the years of traveling, he and Rheynoak had inquired a fine amount of boats. They ranged from rafts to mighty pirate ships ready to take on the rough seas.

They walked through the rows and eventually made it out of the desert slab and around sand dunes to finally arrive at the shores of the Rovien Sea. The area was empty, the black sand staining their shoes and the waves crashing against the rocks.

There, anchored to the shore by some binding ropes was a massive vessel. It was a glorious boat made of white back intertwined with dark brown detailing. The sails were not up yet but they were swaying in the wind, massive ropes slapped over rods of dark wood. The boat seemed to have a bottom compartment for sleeping quarters and eating quarters. Windows were pressed at the sides of the boat, in case a storm blew by.

"This is Heiress, my own personal boat" Lucien pointed out, patting the side. "She'll be a mighty fine vessel to ride the oceans with."

Venix looked up in awe, blinking twice. She stared at the powerful vessel, a mighty warrior in the early morning. "If I knew you had a boat, I would have been out of here a long damn time ago," she said after a few minutes of silence. The Hell Siphon laughed, untangling the binding ropes around its body.

"Exactly why I never told you." His voice carried light humor. Five minutes later with the help of Venix, the ropes were undone, the sails were up, and the boat was pushed into the roaring sea. The waves rocked it back and forth, an early morning storm on its way.

"We should have pulled the steps down first" Lucien groaned, hitting his forehead with his hand. Venix passed him a perplexed look, raising her brow. "You are centuries old with so much power coursing through your veins and you think the only way to get on a ship is to climb fucking stairs?"

The Bloodbone shook her head. "Live a little, Lucien. You have an eternity to make mistakes and regret half of them." Giving him a sly smirk, the Bloodbone narrowed her eyes and leaped off her feet with a great push. She soared through the air like a hawk, her white locks bouncing like the rays of the sun.

She landed on the top deck of the boat with barely a scratch, slipping the bag off her shoulders. Lucien nodded, smiling brightly. "You're absolutely insane" he commented. Venix waved a hand, urging him with calling eyes. "Live a little Northorn, it won't kill you."

Actually, it probably could.

Shaking his head, Lucien simply winnowed himself on to the boat, disappearing like a quick flash before reappearing in front of the Bloodbone. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Disappointing" she teased.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe next time."

They both took their time to settle their bags into the lower deck of the boat, simply tossing the bags on to the bed before returning back to the top deck. The waves had pulled the boat into the sea, the winds pushing them south. Lucien took hold of the wheel, directing the boat through the treacherous waves.

"It's going to take us about a month to reach the Kingdom of Exben" Venix informed him as she read the map. "And by the looks of everything, a storm will be meeting us halfway through the journey."

The Hell Siphon sighed, shaking his head. "Stuck on a boat with you and storm for a month" he uttered, passing a look over to the Hell Siphon. "One of us won't survive."

"Don't speak so ill of yourself, Lucien" the Bloodbone retorted back. "Think positive. Maybe there will be an arm or two left of you by the time we dock." Lucien smirked, gripping the wheel as a wave curved under the boat and lifted them upwards.

"If I'm lucky" the Hell Siphon stated as the boat descended back on the waves. "I won't be alive by then."

"Is he gone, Rheynoak?"

At the sound of a sweet voice, the tribe leader looked up from his desk to see the silhouette of Irene waltz into his office. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders like rays of dark sunshine, her body wrapped in sultry red silk.

The door to his office closed, leaving the two of them alone.

"Yes," the tribe leader simply replied, watching with tempting eyes as the Leader sat down in a chair across from him. A smile nudged at her lips, the crown on her head glinting in the dim light of his office.

"Besides Heather and I, the other tribe leaders have embarked on their journeys back home. Most of them left in the last night and early morning" she informed him, crossing her legs. "So why aren't you out of my sight?" Rheynoak questioned, raising his brows.

"Well, I can always leave" Irene informed him. "But the head Leader of all the tribes won't be pleased to hear that you have been harboring dark secrets that could have opened new doors to our future. Or that the heir to the Crojesian throne has fled to Elsavior with its emperor."

At the mention of Onyx's name, Rheynoak winced, burying his fingers through his dark locks. Even the thought of her golden eyes staring into the piercing glance of the emperor struck fear into his heart. "When will this madness end?" he questioned, shaking his head.

"Madness never ends, my dear," Irene said. "You should know that. You have been alive for so long but you keep making the same old foolish mistakes. When will you ever learn?"

"You have no right to be talking considering you and Heather are the ones propelling this whole thing into the ground" the tribe leader sneered, a frown pulling on his lips. Irene raised her brow, her lips pulled into a thin frown. "If you had not lied in the first place, this situation would not be occurring now. As tribe leaders, we all made a vow to alert each other of unwanted dangers and share secrets that would benefit us. The fact that there is another Mind Siphon alive is astonishing but to find out that the last two Mind Siphons of Asxairo are the heirs of Crojesian and that a Bloodbone Witch is actually the heir to the fallen Durvalieon Kingdom is something no one would have imagined in a million years. They are wanted creatures, potentially dangerous too and now one is mingling in the Inner Circle and another is just a mindless puppet."

A scoff escaped her lips, an amused expression morphing her face. "You have done a fine job taking over your father's tribe Rheynoak but your reputation is damaged. After this, the Desert Tribes have you under their radar. You have a huge debt to pay and Alesandria is your only way out."

"So what do you want from me exactly? Why are you pinning after them?" Rheynoak asked in frustration.

"We are pinning after them because they are not supposed to be alive. Alesandria and Onyx were supposed to be dead! Venix was supposed to be dead! Now that they are alive, enemies we fought centuries ago will now have the power to start a war again!"

Her fist banged against the arm of the chair, startling Rheynoak. " Losing Aries and Eshara and the entirety of the Durvelion Kingdom was a great advantage to us. Without them, the Inner Circle was significantly weaker. But now that they all know of their destinies, the Inner Circle, as well as some isolated mountain tribes that we defeated millennials ago, will now have the power and motivation to retaliate."

Irene's eyes burned bright, filled with blood and vengeance. "And that simply can not happen."

"So what is your plan? What do all of you have in mind?"

Again, the devious leader smiled, rising from her the chair and leaning towards the tribe leader's desk.

"Now that Draco is fully aware of the truth, it won't take long for the rest of the Inner Circle Kingdoms to catch up and declare war on the Desert Tribe again. Being the so claimed pacifist he is, Draco will not want to be involved but the Desert Tribe leaders will have no problem accepting this challenge. That part is inevitable but we need to win in order to truly gain power and by using Alesandria as our little puppet, she can easily disguise herself into the unknowing hands of Elsavior and report all their plans to us through the bond she has with you."

Irene smiled once more, a haunting smile on her lips. "And then when the time is right, we attack."

Rheynoak sat for a good minute, taking in all the information the tribe leader had just informed him of. Although a gut feeling told him to flee as far as possible, he knew that if he did so, his head would be on a chopping block. The head Leader of the Desert Tribes would ring him dry and no one would be in his corner to save him.

His father, who had sacrificed his life for the sake of others, would be highly disappointed in him. Just thinking of his father's disapproving stare was enough to send a chill up his spine. He made his father a promise and as much as he didn't want to, he would have to see it follow to its end.

Rheynoak groaned again, dragging his hands down his face. He was truly in debt and the only way he could escape was to follow this unruly plan.

"So when does Alesandria play her part in this plan?" Rheynoak asked.

Irene smiled, ruffling his hair. "Soon, dear Rheynoak. For now, we need to have a discussion with Heather as well and inform the Head Leader of this plan."

A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes, her next words hinting at a dark undertone. "Once approved, Alesandria will be the driving plot to their graves."

A/N: And that is the end of Chapter Twenty One!

Thank God finals are over so that I can focus on writing and completing this book this summer! I can't wait to complete it! You are sure to be blown away!

In addition, the first novella of The Catalyst Saga is out! Emerald Crown follows the story of Onyx and her life from the moment she was born up until Rheynoak decided to initiate her into his tribe. The novella tells parts of her life that has never been brought into the light like her parents and her life as a royal!

The cover was created by the amazing Zuko and it is beautiful! You guys can check it out! It is posted on my profile!

So tell me what you guys thought of this chapter.

Any specific scenes you liked! Any conspiracies? I would love to hear them!

Thank you guys for all your constant support. It means so much to me that you enjoy this book. I enjoy writing it and to hear your feedback always makes my day!

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

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May