Chapter 36

Perhaps humanity really should be considered a race because Jade surely felt as though he was running one. It felt as though he was running down some unknown road and could not see the end to it. What he would find at the end of that road he was not sure and that worried him but at the same he could not help but love every second of that race as he gazed down into the entrancing blue eyes of Noel.

The fact that Jade was losing his senses being drawn into Noel's gaze was even blocking his self awareness. He could not realize it until it was already happening to him. Shivering slightly he began to feel his body losing control again. Blood-lust was beginning to flood his natural instinctive as his eyes began to blur. Breathing heavier by the second he tried to remove himself from atop Noel so that he would not put him at risk. If he lost to his instincts he knew he'd put Noel's life at risk.

"Jade, what's wrong?" Noel asked as he sat up. Reaching out to touch him on his back he found his hand being slapped away.

"Don't touch me." Jade said in a stern tone as he tried to suppress the instinctive nature.

Both of them were startled at the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning their heads they could see Capricorn walking over. The look on his face felt complicated as he went straight for Jade and knelt down to look at him.

"How long?" He asked as he glanced between the two of them. When he realized neither of them were going to respond to him he repeated himself. "How long as this been happening to the prince?"

"I don't know." Jade responded so that Capricorn would forget about questioning Noel about it. He knew that Noel would not know a thing about how long it had been happening to him because he was only aware of the few times he had found him after he had already collapsed from the urge to hunt. It was not something he wanted the man to see if he could help it.

"What's wrong with him?" Noel asked Capricorn as he sat there in a daze of confusion and worry.

"As a faerie of the Void he's not meant for long periods of separation from the Void. The reason they are considered able to create something from nothingness is due to the fact they themselves are made of the Void. Jade had been missing for years from the Void and clearly it's taking it's toll on him and contaminating his very existence. If he doesn't make it back soon he could very well lose all rationality. It's not that they can't come to the mortal world, but they're suppose to take spiritual rests back in the Void to cleanse themselves." Capricorn could not help but sigh as he tried to weigh the current options in front of him.

"You mean we have to get him to the Void?" Noel tried to understand as best as he could but his mind was only focused on the point of helping Jade.

"In short.. Yes." Capricorn affirmed with a nod. They were not far from the gateway to the Void but what Capricorn had not mentioned was the fact that neither him nor Noel would be able to enter it or they would be torn to shreds. The reason that Faeries of the the Void could survive in it was due to the fact they were part of the Void themselves. If someone who truly had a real physical body tried to enter the Void they would be ripped to shreds.

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving." Jade grunted out in pain as he forced himself to his feet again. With his shirts in his hand he slowly put them back on. A soft meow came from his feet where the calico had run over to check on him. It's little face looking up at him as if asking to be lifted up. Bending down towards the calico he scooped it up with one hand and helped it to perch atop his shoulders. The soft tail of the cat wrapped comfortingly around his neck as it nestled into his long black hair once again.

"If we head west from here we should be able to reach the void fairly soon." Capricorn said with hope in the back of his mind that they would be able to make it in time before Jade would lose himself to the contamination of the physical world. It was not his wish to see the fall of his prince and he would use every action deemed necessary in order to protect his life at all costs.

Jade did not respond to the words from Capricorn. In silence he began to walk in the direction that Capricorn had pointed out to them. If west was the direction the two of them wanted to go in than he would agree with it for the sake of Noel. It was not that he was worried about himself but simply that he could not bear to go against something he knew Noel was internally shouting at him to agree with. He was not certain about how the Void worked because he was not really the soul of the second prince but since it was his body that he had taken over he felt it was possible to just figure it out when they arrived there. If going to the Void meant he could protect Noel then he would make things work when the time came.

To ensure that their speed did not falter in the least Jade scooped Noel up in his arms once again wedding bride style. With his eyes set on the west as they ran he could feel the warm sensation of Noel's arms tightening around his neck as they ran through the trees. Even though Noel's clothing was still dampened from falling into the water with him moments ago he did not care in the least that it was causing his own clothing to get wet. There was a new goal in his heart and he would let nothing stand in his way to ensure he saw it through. Jade might have not been able to admit to himself his feelings for the man he held firmly in his arms against his chest as he ran but the one thing he knew was that he would give his all in order to see that he never allowed anything to happen to him.