The Cycle

KILO'S POV

Castyr's soft breathing and steady pulse assure me he is still unconscious. I bring my hand to his forehead and check his temperature, relieved that it is normal. I gently run my hands over the star's body, checking for wounds. Thankfully, his wounds from Hades healed during his neutron state, and there are no new wounds. Upon observing that Castyr is wearing the same clothes from his time in Hades, I lift him into a sitting position and slip the tattered shirt over his head. I take off my jacket before putting it around the star. After lowering Castyr back into the chair, I return to the pilot's chair and begin working.

Upon disabling the tracker in the spacecraft, I set a course to Borum. Even though I have disabled the tracker and location beacon, it will be wise to make the long stretch from Borum to Mythos in a different craft.

Once the craft is steadily on route, I rummage through the compartments in the back of the craft to find the medic box. I sit on the bench lining the craft and set the box beside me. Stifling a grunt, I take off my bloodstained shirt and begin to carefully remove the bullets from my shoulder and side. Once the wounds on my body have been cleaned, bandaged, and set to heal, I spread my wings revealing several scarlet stains on the black feathers.

Gritting my teeth, I remove the bullets and clean the wounds before putting away my wings. I leave my wet and sticky shirt on the bench and return to the front of the craft. Upon checking on Castyr again, I find his temperature to have risen just a little. I furrow my brows and look through the medic kit for medicine. I find a few fever-reducing pills and injections, but refrain from giving them to Castyr for fear of harming his neutral comatose state. Instead, I keep them on stand-by in case of an emergency. I return to piloting the craft but keep a close eye on the star.

After an hour or so, Castyr begins to shiver, and purple lines of light run across his face and body. I instantly put the craft into auto mode and check on Castyr. The light lines are much like the black ones that crept into him from the king of Hades. The star begins to whimper and turn his head from side to side uncomfortably. I quickly slip into the chair and bring my star into my arms.

Castyr seems to calm with my touch, but the purple lines continue to run along him. I adjust my position to make Castyr as comfortable as possible. Luckily, my wounds are nearly healed, so I can adjust without too much pain. My worry grows when Castyr begins to sweat and his shivers intensify.

What is happening? How can I get Castyr's body to stabilize? Ah! Stabilize. Castyr was being held in Ithyos so his body can remain stable in its comatose. The energy in the generator's core was able to contain the conflicting dark and light.

I tighten my hold around Castyr and spread my wings to cover both of us as I think of the best solution I have. Castyr is unstable as he no longer has the energy from the generator to stabilize him. Therefore, if I can surround him with my energy, he may be able to stabilize and safely continue his neutron state. My only worry is that Castyr's energy has changed with the infusion from the king. I am only able to do this because we interchanged our energy and auras and made the connection. I can only hope Castyr's energy will still accept mine. Even though all of this is just an assumption, it is the best possibility which will help Castyr stabilize.

I close my eyes and concentrate as I pull energy from my body and create a bubble around Castyr. After a few moments, the energy stops swirling around Castyr and becomes a steady glow. I give a small sigh of relief as I feel the star relax in my arms.

Whew. It's working.

I lean back and rest my head against the chair. With the system I have created, I can easily reabsorb some of the energy from the bubble when I grow tired and release it back into the cycle after it gives me strength.

With the cycle of energy containing Castyr and me operating in an efficient routine, I prepare my body for the nine days it will take to reach Borum.