I jerked awake with a sharp gasp, sitting up so fast my head began to spin.

I tried to clutch onto the small details of my dream that had begun to slip from my memories like water through my hands as soon as I had opened my eyes. A girl with white hair...obviously my sister. Being dragged across the rough wooden floor, as she screamed for help, by a dark figure I could only assume was...

I groaned quietly to myself, trying to let my stress out through the breath as it built up inside me brick by brick as if a mason were there trying to weigh me down with his cinder blocks.

I then raised my hands to my face, rubbing the sweat that had gathered there that had begun to trickle down my face, the beads racing across my skin as rain would do on a window.

"Scott?" Came a voice from beside me, tired and raspy from sleep and quiet, hardly a whisper. I glanced down to see Jimmy on the other side of the bed, looking up with tired eyes, rubbing them with his knuckles.

"Oh. Did I wake you?" I asked, keeping my own voice low as to not wake anyone else.

"Yeah..."

I was so relieved when Jimmy forgave me. For a moment I was scared he'd deny me again, and we'd go back to having that wall between us that we had worked so hard on tearing down.

" 'm sorry." I replied, leaning my shoulders against the headboard with a quiet sigh.

"Another dream?" Jimmy asked, propping himself up on his elbows as he stared up at me, raising an eyebrow.

I let out another sigh, before I nodded. "Yup."

Jimmy sat up next to me, close enough that our elbows brushed, before looking back up into my face. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked, taking my hand, and moving his thumb in small circles just below my knuckles.

"No. I'm alright." I replied, squeezing his hand lightly before resting my head on his shoulder, my eyes going out of focus as I stared at the door in front of us.

"Okay." He answered, his voice soft as I felt him lean his head against mine. Soon it was silent in the room except for our in-sync breathing, and I also felt as his hand slowly shifted behind my back, around my waist.

"...what are we?" I asked after a few more moments0p; of silence, feeling Jimmy's warmth wash over me, comforting me more than a blanket ever could.

"Does it matter?" Jimmy asked back, his voice hushed as he spoke.

I blinked in surprise at his answer, before smiling. "No." I replied, content, as I snuggled closer to him, curling up against him and the headboard. Slowly, I closed my eyes, unable to wipe the smile off my face as I felt him tug me closer by the waist. This here was perfect, and the feeling I felt was indescribable, except for vague pictures of which I could use to explain it that would never measure up to the real thing. Warmth in the pit of my stomach spreading throughout my limbs like sunlight, blooming in my chest like flowers growing straight from my heart, peace flooding my brain like a river, strong and powerful but tranquil.

And slowly I slipped off into sleep again, this time not plagued by dreams of torture and stress...

I awoke again, not in the bed.

It was late morning, and when I had woken up to sunlight streaming through my window, and Jimmy shaking me awake for breakfast, I had come straight here to the apothecary. I must have fallen asleep sitting in the plastic chair beside Erin, but unlike me she slept on.

"Oh, you're awake." Came a voice from behind me, and my head snapped around to look at whoever it was. I saw Katherine standing behind me, her hair tied up in a ponytail starting at the crown of her head. "Didn't mean to startle you." She added after we had locked eyes, snickering softly.

I exhaled slowly, before slumping into my chair, looking up at the ceiling. "My gods Katherine..." I murmured.

Katherine's laughter became slightly louder. "Sorry." She said as she passed me and Erin.

I rolled my eyes as she disappeared behind the counter, up the stairs to the attic of the building. I sighed, before my gaze returned to my sister, zoning out on the moon on her forehead.

And then? And then she shifted.

I froze, my eyes widening. Could it possibly be? Was she actually waking or was it just my mind, so desperate to see movement coming from her, playing tricks on me?

Yet, their blackened hands clenched around the blankets pulled up to their chest, her face screwing up as a small gasp escaped their lips.

"Katherine?" I called towards the stairs. Getting to my feet and sitting on the edge of my sister's bed, adrenaline, and panic pounding through my body and through my bones.

"What is it?" Came the fairy's voice, muffled from the hatch between the floors.

"She's moving."

"WHAT?"

I hesitantly reached my hand out towards her, before placing it over one of her own. And slowly...she opened her eyes, her irises pale and blue. Her sclera remained black however, matching her pupils, as if ink had been spilled over them.

Her entire body tensed as she looked around, her eyes widening in panic.

"Hey, its okay." I said in a soft voice just as Katherine came hurrying down the stairs.

Erin jerked away from me, seemingly frantic, propping himself up on her arms. "Wha- where the hell am I!?" she asked with a slight growl, narrowing her eyes at me and then at Katherine.

"Phoenix...calm down." Katherine said, pausing midway between the counter and us. "You're safe—"

"Safe huh?" Erin asked with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. "One second I'm in the friggin' middle of nowhere and now I'm in this obnoxiously bright room—" then she caught sight of me again, and as if she had just realized I was there, or just remembered who I was, her expression softened the slightest. "Scott?"

"Yes, it's me. She's right, you're safe here." I reassured her, locking eyes for a moment, before she again glanced around, still panicky.

"How'd—"

"How'd you get here?" I cut off. "We brought you here after you fell."

"Xornoth?"

I tugged the necklace from around my neck, holding it up. "Back safe and sound." I replied.

Some of the anxiety in Erin's expression seemed to lessen, but she still looked incredibly uncomfortable and nervous as she sat up, glancing down at the white shirt she was wearing and around the room.

Katherine began to walk closer, tentative, looking almost as anxious as Erin, but the elf glared at her, the red magic seemingly flowing from her skin, writhing around her wrists. "Don't come closer." She growled.

"Erin- she's not going to hurt you. She's the one helping." I tried to explain, yet the girl didn't seem to hear me, her blue and black eyes fixated on the fairy and filled with anger.

Katherine took another timid step closer. "I need to check your vitals—"

"Don't you dare." Erin snarled, the red substance flowing violently around her arms, gathering by her palms.

"Phoenix I—" She began, reaching a hand out to try and calm the other down. I didn't have time to warn her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Erin shrieked, her power exploding and coiling around Katherine, throwing her across the room into the wall opposite with a sickening thud.

I covered my eyes with my forearms from the rush that instantly filled the room, trying to stop myself from getting thrown away as well. When I did open my eyes, residue of red filled the air, floating and held up by nothing. Katherine was crumpled in a heap near the wall, and I instantly got to my feet, heading to her side.

I heard a shuffling behind me from Erin's bed as I rolled Katherine onto her back. The fairy groaned, opening her eyes a sliver as I helped her to a sitting position. I turned and saw Erin struggled out of the bed, her legs shaking as she supported herself by clutching onto the bedframe. "She's going to hurt herself..." Katherine muttered, slightly dazed from the crash.

"I know—" I answered quickly, standing up and jogging back across the room. "Erin stop—" I started, trying to steady her, but she swatted me away.

"I'm fine." She growled, glaring at me. "I need to get out of here—"

"No you don't! We're trying to help you—"

"The same people who attempted to execute me are trying to help? I highly doubt that." Erin said, her eyes narrowed skeptically.

"It's different now- I promise, no one will hurt you." I assured, carefully taking her wrist to try and help her stand. "You've been out for nearly two weeks, you need rest."

"Two weeks sounds like plenty of rest to me- AH—" Erin gasped, her eyes spasming red for a moment before she screwed them shut, staggering into me.

I quickly caught her to avoid letting her hit the ground, panicking as I carefully sat her back down on the bed, tilting her chin up to looking into her face. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, purple swirling through her eyes before they returned to blue, just as Katherine hurried to my side.

"We need to get them out of you..." I murmured, my face twisting in worry . Erin wrapped her blackened hand around the wrist I used to gently hold her jaw, fear evident in her own expression. Exor's hold on her was unsettling, because as stubborn as she was she couldn't manage to stop him, and that was something I never imagined could happen. I didn't think Erin would ever allow herself to be controlled. But here she was, cowering to the command of the demon god whom she seemed to fear. "You'll be okay. Where is everyone?" I asked, turning to now face Katherine.

"Should be in the dining hall, it's around lunch." Katherine replied.

But to my surprise, Erin smirked, as if forgetting everything that had just taken place. "Everyone's here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes...?" I answered, but I immediately regretted it.

"Heh, I'm gonna go scare them." Erin snickered, quickly ducking under my arm towards the exit.

"Erin that's not a good idea—"

"Too late." Katherine peeped as Erin darted out the door.

"We should go after her?" I said faintly, staying rooted to the spot for a moment as I stared out the door.

"Yup..."

We sprinted after her up towards the palace, her figure zigzagging up the hill and then out of sight through the double doors.

I didn't know if scaring them meant surprising them or stabbing a kitchen knife through their abdomen. Considering my sister, corrupted or not, probably the latter option.

We were out of breath by the time we got to the entrance, Katherine clutching at her side as she took a sharp intake of oxygen. I quickly hurried down the hall to where the dining hall was held, thinking of the worst, with the fairy at my side a moment later.

I wiped sweat that had accumulated on my forehead off with the back of my hand just as Katherine flung the doors open.

Everyone looked up from their meals to stare at us, some surprised, some confused. "Scott what—" Jimmy started, but my attention was on none of the emperors.

Instead I was focused on the girl hanging upside down from the crystal chandelier, wearing a mischievous grin. Before I could stop her, or warn any of the others of her presence, she dropped.

"Boo." She hissed as she landed feet first on the table, the silverware rattling.

Shrub screamed as she fell out of her seat, a few others who followed the gnome was Sausage, Jimmy, Fwhip and Joel. Pearl leapt to her feet, grabbing a steak knife from the table for self-defense just as Lizzie scrambled from her own chair. Gem froze to the spot with a look of terror on her face along with Pixl, Giselle, Katherine's three sisters Lavender, Lacy, and Ella. Joey shrieked, his chair tipping backwards, but he managed to stay sitting.

"HAH—" Erin exclaimed, straightening up with a snicker, her face screwing up with laughter. "That was HILARIOUS you should have seen your faces!"

Gem took a deep breath, before looking at both me and Katherine. I gave the wizard an apologetic look as her expression turned annoyed. "She's awake?"

"Mhm. Tried to stop her." I replied, pursing my lips.

"Didn't work." Katherine added, folding her hands in front of her is she fidgeted in her spot.

Erin jumped down from the table, grinning.

"You little..." Joey muttered murderously, glaring at her. Erin, in response, stuck her tongue out at the avian, before turning to me with her arms crossed.

"What? You want praise for scaring them? Perhaps a medal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No but now that you suggest it—"

"Oh, shut up you." I said, rolling my eyes, trying to suppress a smirk that attempted to cross my face.

Erin snickered again, her wings folding against her back behind her. "You thought it was funny." She teased, poking my upper arm.

"Did not."

"Did toooo—"

"So. What do we do with it?" Sausage asked as he got to his feet, brushing himself off, looking thoroughly irritated.

"It? So I'm an it now, huh?" Erin responded, looking extremely offended.

"Calm down." I said with a small sigh, flicking the side of her head. "I just...need to call on Aeor now I guess—"

"AEOR-?" Erin half-shrieked, taking several steps back from me, looking angry and somewhat fearful at the same time. "Nuh, nuh, nuh no—"

"Erin, he'll help you—"

"Nope. Not doing it. No way." She said, closing her eyes as she shook her head, still retreating away from me.

"Erin—"

"No!" My sister continued to protest, glaring at me.

"Do you really want to stay like this?" I asked quietly, and Erin paused, her expression changing quickly as her brow creased, worry forming in her face. "Listen, I don't care if you don't like him, he's the only one that can help you, and you're going to let him."

Erin glared at me, her eyes narrowing as her irises swirled purple for a moment the corrupted red threatening to pierce the blue. But it didn't. She gave me a sharp nod, still stood where she was, tense.

I took a few cautious steps forward, not wanting to overwhelm her. That would be bad, Very, very bad. "Let's go then." I said, gesturing out the door. "Let's go help you."

We made our way outside...followed by everyone else.

Erin kept looking over her shoulder at them, as if she expected one to tackle her from behind which honestly, I was surprised hadn't happened yet. She kept her wings folded closely behind her back; her arms crossed across her chest.

"Now...I just need to call him." I said with a small sigh, rubbing my upper arm as we stood around the side of the castle, where me and Lizzie had fought.

"I thought you and Aeor uh... had some problems." Erin said, still speaking quietly which was unlike her. But I couldn't blame them for being as nervous as they seemed. I was freaking out too.

"Well, said problems have been fixed." I replied, looking up anxiously. "So...Aeor?" I asked. It seemed hours passed, though it probably was a minute, of just silence after I had asked for the god.

And then, just like every other time, a bright light, so bright I had to cover my eyes, gathered in front of me. I heard a startled cry escape Erin's mouth, but I couldn't see nor tell where she was at the moment.

The light slowly began to die down and I removed my arms from in front of my face. Aeor, again, stood in front of me with his hands folded regally behind his back. "Yes?"

I had realized on our way out here, not everyone had seen Aeor the first time, and not everyone had fully recovered from seeing him. So I thought it best not to look behind myself at all their stunned expressions. Instead, my eyes traveled to Erin. She stood a few feet from where she had been moments before when I had called Aeor, her shoulders hunched, her wings flared, fear and anger in her expression. Aeor instantly followed my gaze, his golden eyes meeting her blue ones which slowly turned to red. Her red, not Exor's.

"I see," He said as soon as he saw her, and Erin scowled. "I think I can help."

"I don't need your help." Erin spat, her fists clenching as the red substance writhed around her wrists like snakes, wrapping up her forearms.

"Erin." I said sharply as soon as she spoke, and she glanced at me with a look that clearly said, 'I don't want to do this'. "Its going to be okay."

She didn't look like she believed me in the slightest, instead, she glared at me as if she were a child being forced to go to the doctor's office, which was basically what was happening. "What're you gonna do, slap me and see if I go back to normal?" She asked Aeor, narrowing her eyes at the god.

"No, actually." Aeor replied, looking rather annoyed at her suggestion. "I will be attempting to remove my brother's form from you. It will not be the most...enjoyable experience but we can hope that it will work."

"Well, that's not very reassuring—"

"It is not supposed to be."

Erin clenched her jaw, obviously biting back a retort that probably would have gotten her into a hell of a lot of trouble. "Fine." She said through gritted teeth, the red in her eyes swirling from purple back to blue. "But this better be quick."

"I cannot promise anything."

"Of course you can't."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Aeor asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

"Oh nothing." Erin replied, the corners of her lips seemingly suppressing a smirk. "Continue."

Aeor's eyes narrowed the slightest at my sister, but Erin stood straight, her wings ruffling behind her before folding neatly behind her back— or as neatly as they could.

Aeor took a step toward her, dropping his hands towards his sides. "I need you to be ready, Phoenix."

"Erin. Its Erin. We've been over this." Erin said snappishly, crossing her arms.

I was surprised to see Aeor roll his eyes. "Alright, fine. But are you ready?"

"Sure."

"That did not sound too sure—"

"Just get this over with you prick."

Aeor raised his eyebrows slightly. "Excuse me?" he asked, looking slightly offended.

"If you expected me to be nice about this you were wrong." Erin replied bluntly.

I was honestly surprised Aeor didn't blast Erin to bits in that moment, his expression contorting slightly before going blank and stern as always. "Is that so?" he asked, his tone dangerously smooth.

Erin didn't answer, but stared unblinkingly into his eyes, her own narrowing. I watched as Aeor's fists clenched by his sides, and instantly feared whether or not he'd still try and help. But of course he would, even he'd help her to stop Exor from spreading his corruption through her.

"Be ready." He said, taking a final step forward as he placed his hand on Erin's forehead. Time seemed to freeze for one, painful moment as Erin's eyes widened, light emitting from Aeor's palm as shadow's burst from Erin's skin. She screamed, her hands wrapping around Aeor's wrist, her nails digging into his arm as steam sizzled from where their skin met. She ripped herself from his grip, the black smoke-like substance absorbing back into her body as she hit the ground with another sharp cry.

The light faded after a moment as Aeor looked down at her curled figure on the ground, unimpressed. I bit back a sharp gasp as I hit the ground next to her, helping her to a seated position. Her sclera remained black as she glared furiously up at Aeor, her hands and lower lip trembling with what looked like pain. It worried me, because to let those actions slip must have meant it was severe, especially considering this was Erin. "YOU BASTARD!" Erin shrieked.

"You are going to have to try a little harder than that." Aeor said bluntly, ignoring her insult. "Exor is determined to keep you as their pawn, and if you do not want to stay as a piece in their game, I suggest you try to help me eliminate them from your form."

Erin grit her teeth, hatred and fury looming in her expression. "What do you think I'm trying to do? Play hopscotch with them? OF COURSE I'M TRYING TO HELP—"

"Erin calm down—" I started to say, but she didn't let me finish.

"CALM DOWN!? IT FEELS LIKE MY INSIDES ARE GETTING RIPPED OUT!"

"I- I know. But if you do it you'll be okay." I said quietly. "And I need you to be okay."

Erin swallowed, exhaling a shaky breath as she glanced at me, giving me a sharp jerk of the head I interpreted as a nod. I stood up, backing away as Erin got to her feet, her knees threatening to buckle again, but she managed to stand up straight, one arm wrapped around her torso.

"You have to be ready this time." Aeor said.

"I'm aware." Erin replied, a trace of a growl resonating in her throat as she kept her eyes narrowed up at the god.

Aeor's jaw clenched, but he said nothing as he raised his hand again, placing it back on Erin's forehead just over the horizontal moon marking it. Once again, light burst from the spot, consuming the area as Erin's scream filled the side garden.

She fell to her knees as the smokey substance began to tear away from her skin again, but this time she didn't jerk or attempt to get away. Aeor followed her to the ground, on one knee, his hand still on her forehead, the other on the side of her head, trying to draw the demon god out of her. His face was filled with concentration, while Erin's was twisted with pain and anger. Her hands were clamped tightly around Aeor's wrist as the shadows streamed from her body, but attempted to cling to her, pulling at her skin as if it were trying to tear it from her bones.

Despite being off to the sidelines, adrenaline pumped through my veins along with fear at the sight. Fear that it wouldn't work, fear that she wouldn't be okay, fear that she'd land the same fate as our brother. Seeing her in that much pain was just as unbearable as it was to be in that pain. All I wanted was to run to her side and help, but that would complicate things immensely. So I stayed rooted to the spot, as if glued to the earth.

I watched as the dark shadows tried desperately to hold onto Erin, clinging to her skin and limbs like a magnet. I feared it may even tear her to pieces as the light emitting from Aeor's palm steadily grew bright and more powerful.

The beastly shadow let out a horrid hiss that reminded me of the voice of Exor; high, and cold, and cruel, sounding like nails being slowly dragged down a chalkboard or two knife blades being scraped against one another.

I forced myself to look away from the scene, wondering if I'd ever be able to forget the tortured look on Erin's face as if she were being ripped limb by limb.

Instead I focused on the others' faces, each with varying degrees of horror filling them. Though most despised the girl, every single one of them looked as if they desperately wanted to run forth and stop it.

Slowly but surely fewer shadows began to exit Erin's small form, the darkness peeling away from her hands and arms, yet another scream escaped her chapped and bloody lips. The pain in that one noise, that desperate call for help and plea for assistance was like none that I had ever heard before.

Every fiber of my body, every cell that made up my being wanted to run to her side, hold her in my arms and take all the pain away, even if I had to bear it instead. If only I could have shared that pain with her, lessen the burden, it would have felt like an accomplishment. Yet I could do no such thing without putting her at risk.

To my amazement, the last few strands of darkness was pulled, the last coils of torture and control. As soon as the vile creature Exor now was had stopped flowing from the teen elf, its strands finally breaking and tearing away from her body, Aeor's hand shot up towards me.

It took me a moment to realize what this entailed, just as the crystal around my neck shot upwards and forwards directly in front of my line of sight, as if begging to enter Aeor's hold. The chain dug into the back of my neck before snapping and bolting towards Aeor's outstretched hand. From instinct, I reached forward, attempting to hook my fingers around the chain as it flew away from me, panic striking through my body like lightning as my brother and his prison were taken away. But it slipped my fingers as Aeor caught it, and with one final strangled shriek from the shadowy substance, it was absorbed into the crystal.

Why did it hurt to see that my brother was again trapped with that twisted creature that we called a god?

The crystal glowed a brighter red for just a moment, before dimming again.

And everything was silent.

What broke that silence, however, was Erin crumpling to the ground with a quiet, breathless gasp.

Aeor got to his feet, his hands folding behind his back still with the crystal clutched between his fingers, as I ran to my sister's side.

I rolled her onto her back, seeing that her face was drenched with sweat, blood slowly trickling down from her nose and trekking down one of the light creases on her face. Her eyes were half-lidded and bloodshot, but her sclera was back to normal and white, void of the eerie darkness that once overtook them.

I took her hand, which was now pale like it once had been, in my own as I slid my other hand behind her back to help her sit up. I was surprised at the amount of strength still left in her as she squeezed my hand back tightly, sitting up with very little of my help.

Her chest heaved for a moment as she took a few, shuddering breaths before she steadied her breathing pattern out, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"You're okay?" I asked, relief filling my voice as she nodded before I finished speaking.

"Yeah- yeah I am." She said, mild shock lingering in her expression as she ran a hand through her hair near her scalp. She blinked a few times as if to make sure all of this was real. "They're gone..."

"That is correct." Aeor said, somewhat butting into our conversation.

Despite now being in full control, Erin still glared daggers at the god. Even he, the almighty Aeor, first of Fate, seemed...anticipant, you could say, of what this look meant.

"You!" Erin growled, getting to her feet, her wings flaring and her fists clenching.

"Yes. Me. And what about it?" Aeor countered, his eyes narrowing.

"This is all your fault!" Erin shouted, taking a step forward and jabbing her index finger into Aeor's chest. I practically had to drag her backwards to stop her from resetting her position and charging at him like a bull. Somehow, she was angrier without Exor than she was with them.

"Is that so?" Aeor asked, one of his silver eyebrows raising. "And how is it my fault?"

"YOU could have stopped this all before it even STARTED! I've had nearly TWO YEARS to think of what may have taken place if you had CARED!" she half-shrieked, twisting in my arms. "SCOTT LET ME GO OR SO HELP ME I'LL—"

"How could I have prevented this?" Aeor asked, cutting her off her string of cusses that she unleashed on me in rage.

"You could have done just this to Xornoth! Couldn't you? You could have exorcised Exor earlier! You could have stopped Xornoth from finding your damned brother in the FIRST PLACE! SO WHY? WHY DIDN'T YOU? I WANT ANSWERS!"

"Believe it or not, Phoenix, I am not the highest power—"

"You think I care? NO! You still could have done something instead of sitting in your pretty, little comfortable throne and watch ALL HELL BREAK LOOSE!"

"Erin—" I started, grabbing her wrist to try and calm her, but immediately flinching backwards as her magic dug into my palm like hot iron, twisting against her skin where I touched. "Please." I pleaded, scared. What would Aeor do if she took it farther?

"NO!" Erin snapped at me, her eyes narrowing. "I will NOT bow and cower to an arrogant selfish god like you do! He only steps in with his 'righteous power' and 'wise decisions' when its convenient for him! He doesn't care what happens to us down here living in this hellhole! He just cares for HIMSELF, and he thinks he's privileged and better! NO!" She turned now to glare at Aeor. "Here's what I think of YOU!" and she took a step toward him and spat on the ground at his feet.

Rage like I had never seen before filled Aeor's face, his glare piercing. Every second that passed I expected Erin to get blown to bits. However, he kept his cool. "You believe your words are like poison, and true they could cut as deep as a blade if not deeper. Yet you only sound foolish. I know what you want. Your goal is to have me attack, pull me to my edge. But in reality, this is a waste of my time, and I will not stoop so low as to satisfy you with my fury." He said, his voice dangerously low and even.

Erin's face contorted, her eyes beginning to glow the red of her power instead of corruption. "FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!" She shouted, hatred and rage piercing through every word as she raised a hand towards Joey of all people, a knife that he had on his belt flying from its hilt and into her outstretched hand.

Why Joey had a knife you may ask? Well its Joey not even I know—

What I did not expect, however, was for Erin to launch it at the god. I watched as if in slow motion as the blade pierced the air, shooting towards him faster than I could stop it. Aeor did not flinch, or move, as the knife lodged in his upper arm beneath his shoulder. He simply looked down at it, his expression blank, as a thick, gold, blood-like substance began to drip from the wound.

I didn't even know how to feel. I was frozen to the spot as Erin withdrew her hand, her face still twisted as her nostrils flared, waiting for what he would do.

Aeor stared at the knife in his arm for a moment, before ripping it out, the blade clattering to the ground covered in the golden liquid. He looked up at Erin, his eyes narrowed as they flashed a deeper gold for just a moment. But he stayed standing there, gold dripping down in his arm from where the knife had pierced.

Erin let out a cry of anger when she got no reaction from him, before launching herself at Aeor without warning.

I couldn't do anything to stop it, but Aeor didn't seem to have a problem. He stepped out of the way of her, quirking an eyebrow as she came to a stop, whipping around to face him again, steam practically flowing from her ears in anger. Red magic wrapped around her forearms as she struck a blow near Aeor's head which he dodged by a hair, smoothly stepping out of the way again, keeping his perfect composure.

Erin shrieked in rage, lunging for him yet again. This time Aeor swerved, grabbing, and twisting Erin's arm to turn her around, wrapping his own arm around her neck, pinning her against himself.

Erin screamed, thrashing in his hold, but she was unable to escape his arms as she dug her fingernails into his forearm, trying and failing to kick at his shins.

"Yield." Aeor demanded, his tone sterner than it had been before.

"NO!" She shrieked, jerking again to try and break through his arms trapping her. But that did nothing.

"Yield." Aeor repeated, his jaw clenching as he tightening his arm around Erin's throat to cut off her air supply. "Now."

Erin gasped, a strangled noise escaping her mouth as she was slowly getting choked out of her oxygen supply. She lasted nearly a minute of attempting to escape, unable to breathe, before being unable to take it any longer. She stopped struggling, signaling that she was done, that she was surrendering.

Aeor released her, taking a step back as she collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees, gasping for air, her chest heaving.

"Well, it seems we have the old Phoenix back." Aeor declared, looking down at the girl, again wearing that same expression, showing that he was clearly unimpressed with her actions.

I watched as Erin's expression turned angrier at his statement, but she said nothing as her nostrils flared again, trying to regain her breath.

I decided to chance a glance back at everyone else, most of which looked surprised, maybe even shocked at what had occurred. I'm not sure if I was more surprised at Aeor managing to keep his patience, or that Erin had lost against him.

"My work here is done. If you need me, you know where to find me." Aeor said, now directed at me as he looked up, giving me a small nod as he disappeared in a flash of the white light I had begun to grow used to.

"Aw damn it now my knife is covered in god cooties—" Joey said, crossing his arms with a bit of a pout on his face.

I had to stifle laughter from that one.

A low groan from Erin brought me back to earth. I blinked, standing still for a moment, before hurrying to her side for the second time, sitting down on my knees as I helped her up.

She said nothing, resting up against me in exhaustion, slumping against my chest. "Come on, you need to get some rest." I said in a quiet voice, getting to my feet and helping her to her own.

The first thing I saw when I lifted my head was Katherine. Her expression was a mixture of shock, worry, and amazement as she tightened her ponytail. "I can show you a room." She said, giving me and Erin a gentle smile I did not expect from her, especially aimed towards my sister.

Erin's expression was slightly confused, but she gave a small nod, to exhausted to protest as she closed her eyes, and I felt her lean even more heavily on me.

I helped her as quickly and carefully as I could after Katherine. I feel everyone's eyes on me, and I already knew Giselle wouldn't be too pleased with housing Erin.

We were brought back through the crystal embellished entrance hall. Erin's bare feet padding lightly against the smooth floor while the noise of me and Katherine's shoes echoed throughout the room. I wasn't sure if Erin had enough strength to walk up the stairs, but she did. The amount of strength she had left even after everything she had endured still continued to amaze me.

Her room was down the hall from my own, and Katherine opened the door for us. "Get some sleep." She said, before heading back down the stairs, most likely to join the others in their discussion about what had just taken place.

Erin broke away from me, instantly crawling onto the bed and curling up with a small, tired sigh. I couldn't help but smile, knowing that if not now, but soon, she'd be okay, and everything could return to normal...or as normal as it had been if you could even call that 'normal'.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her upper arm for a moment before she opened her eyes. "You don't need to stay with me..." she said quietly, her voice rasping against the roof of her mouth as she spoke.

"But I want to." I insisted. "Now go to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep while you're watching me like a weirdo, you pervert." Erin countered, giving me a look. As always, I couldn't tell if she were joking or not.

"You're my sister—"

"Do I care? No."

I sighed, before smiling at her antics that I had missed so much. "Fine, I'll be back later, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever—"

I got to my feet, brushing the dirt off of my pants before closing the blinds in the room. I headed back towards the door as Erin pulled the blankets up over herself. I shook my head to myself before shutting the lights off and going to close the door.

Instantly I heard a sharp gasp from Erin, and before I managed to leave, I turned the lights back on, raising an eyebrow at the panicked expression my sister wore. She rubbed her eyes, before smacking the side of her violently just as she had done previously when Exor tried to make her commit an act she didn't want to. I realized immediately what had happened.

"No, no, no, no you're okay Erin." I said, quickly sitting beside her again. "I just shut the lights off he's not controlling you again I promise." I pulled her into my arms, and she wrapped hers around my chest, shaking the slightest. "I won't shut them off again, okay?"

Erin swallowed, nodding as she kept her eyes closed. "...you...you can stay I guess..." she said after a moment, her voice just above a whisper.

I blinked, before I nodded. "Okay. I will." I replied, knowing that was her own way of saying she wanted me here. I rubbed her back for a moment just as she pressed her face into my chest, relaxing slightly. Her breathing steadied out after a moment, and I could feel her fighting sleep against me. "Erin, I'm right here, you can sleep. Nothing's going to happen to you."

The girl nodded slowly, before pulling away and lying back down, resting her head back onto the pillow. I remained sitting, glancing away from her while she began to drift off. When I looked back, she was sleeping.

She was sleeping, she was safe, she was okay. And so was I. 

***

Yayyyy a new chapter- once again, I apologize for it being so late. Life has been really busy- a family member of mine died last weekend so I had to attend his funeral, spend time with family, etc, etc. Motivation hasn't been very high either recently, and my mental health has dipped again so that's my excuse for not posting-

ALSO, I recently (by recently I mean like two weeks ago) posted a little chapter in my Short Stories book, called 'Scott: The Annual Meeting' which is just a little blurb from when Scott and some of the others were teenagers. I'll probably make a part two eventually when I can work up enough motivation to start it. But go check it out and feel free to comment about any other little, short oneshots you want to see about them.

But yeah, that's all the stuff I'm going to bore you with at the moment. Have a great day/night y'all.

(Also sorry if the end seems a little rushed- I wrote most of it today to get the chapter out. Be prepared for an Erin POV coming soon!)