Chapter 8 - New Beginnings

Aramis flailed around wildly and reached desperately for anything that could halt his fall. Just as he thought he could reach the railings, his fingertips slipped against the cool metal and he fell further down. He couldn't die like this, he'd sworn he would not die in the cold winter after leaving the North. He'd die with the sun before his eyes, this would not be his resting place. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was still hurtling towards the ground at alarming speeds. He'd become a splatter on the ground. 

That was when he felt the air shift around him. Something was coming at him. Something was barrelling straight at him far faster than his descent to the ground. Before he could even react, that something slammed straight into him and sent him flying into the building's glass windows. The impact was enormous and all the air in Aramis' chest was forced out as he hit the ground with a crash. Shattered glass lay around him as he tried to sit up but the pain was too great for him to overcome. His vision was blurred but he could make out a figure standing before him. He wasn't too tall nor was he very muscular. 

He had been the something who'd slammed into him. He'd saved his life. Instead of gratitude, the feeling he felt was undoubtedly intimidation. There wasn't a lot of things that could make him feel such a way but he did it with ease. His clothes were torn to little shreds, leaving his bare skin exposed to the cold. His was filled with old scars but not a single fresh wound on his body could be seen. His pale blonde hair was long and messy and his blue eyes stared straight into him. 

He'd faced many opponents in the years he was a Royal Prospect and he had no idea if he'd ever come face to face with someone as strong as he. It wasn't that he emanated magical power. It was the fact that he emanated none of it. Being an experienced magic wielder, Aramis had learnt how to somewhat sense sources of Mana in the people around him. Everyone, even those without Trees of Life, had them. It was the energy of the soul. The man standing in front of him had nothing. 

There wasn't a single shred of magic within him. Who was this man? What was he? Alarms were blared and finally the man blinked as if snapping out his trance. He reached out a hand without warning and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet. Aramis flinched and tried to pull away, but his grip was unbreakable. It was as if the strength within him was disappearing the more contact they made. It was something he'd never felt before, it was terrifying. 

"Wh-" 

"You look fine. More sturdy than you look. Head along now. They can't punish me but they'll certain punish you. Don't know what you were doing but don't do it again. Get out of here." His voice was rough and raspy as if he didn't talk much. He let go of his arm and gestured for him to leave. Aramis didn't need any more encouragement. Whoever the man was, he was right. If he wanted to kill him, he probably would've and could've done it with ease. What he needed to worry about now was getting out of there. Fast. 

Had Cory noticed that he'd left her office? How long had he been gone? He couldn't even remember. He ran into the hallways and his heart stopped. Riders dressed in sleek metal armor rounded the hallway and he only had a second before a tall girl appeared before him. 

"In here!" She hissed, gesturing at a door in front of him. He didn't have time to wonder who she was or where she was leading to him but he did know he couldn't be seen. He slipped into the room and entered an open empty room with unpainted walls. It looked like they hadn't decided what to do with this one just yet. 

Aramis glanced back, looking if the girl had followed him but saw no one. When he turned, he realized the girl was standing in front of him. He could not tell what confused him more. The fact that she had somehow teleported past him into the room, the fact that she was floating, or the fact that she was dressed as if she were ready for summer to arrive any time soon. 

"How the fuck are you floating?" He'd decided to focus on the weirdest thing. 

"Who are you? Where am I? Did Lady Nyx send you?" She asked with a flurry of questions, completely ignoring his own. 

Aramis raised up his hand to silence her because he had a feeling she wouldn't stop if he didn't. 

"My name is Aramis Morricone. You are in the Lost, quite far away from the village itself I guess but still in the Lost. You don't look like you're from here. Are you the one who's supposed to give me back my magic? I made a deal with her. A deal's a deal." He tried to keep his voice calm but the fact that he felt no change at all was starting to make frustration boil within him. He'd gone through all that for nothing? Had the Goddess just been lying to him all this time? It couldn't be. He wouldn't believe it. 

She seemed to have calmed down a bit but still seemed quite wary of him. She relented though, seeing that she'd get no where if she did not cooperate. 

"My name is Kali. I am from what you would call the Lands of the Night. The lands of which beasts reside. I am from Teras. I don't know what Lady Nyx promised you but you will not speak about her like that." 

"Speak about her like what? She promised me that I would be able to get my magic back? She said that she'd give me what I want!" Why the hell was she getting offended? He'd been given the short end of the deal! And how the fuck was she still levitating off the ground like that? 

"As the Priest of Nyx, it is my duty to ensure she is treated with respect. Much less from a mortal like you! Maybe it's not your magic that you really want!" She floated closer now, her brown eyes piercing into his. When she got up in his face like this, Aramis could see her more clearly in the darkness. She was...kind of cute. 

"What." Her expression changed to one of shock and her cheeks flushed red. 

"What." She was...really really cute. Wow. 

"Stop it. Stop that." She said and averted his gaze. "STOP THINKING SO LOUD!" 

"You're really cute." Aramis said out loud this time, an amused smile crossing his face. He wasn't exactly the type to keep his thoughts to himself. Though it got him in trouble some times, this was one of those times where it kind of came in handy. He wasn't lying either. She had frizzy brown hair and an even softer pair of brown eyes. She was tall and she had a runner's body. Fit and athletic. She seemed his age, maybe a few years older? She was a very beautiful girl. 

"Stop it." She said firmly, regaining her composure. "I don't know what's going on right now but Lady Nyx said that I would know what to do. But I don't." He could see that she was trying to fight back the tears in his eyes and he immediately felt bad for screaming. 

"Yeah. I don't think anybody knows what they're supposed to do. Kali was it? How about I show you around? See what it's like to live like a human for once." 

They shared a smile. They could not have been more different people but at the same time they understood each other better than anyone else in the world. It was because they were in such similar situations that they understood each other so well. They were both stuck in life right now. They were both confused and a bit lost.

"I...I would appreciate that, Aramis Morricone. Show me what it's like to be human." 

As he watched her float after him, Aramis had a single thought in his mind. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to find their way together. And this time, Kali didn't tell him to stop thinking because she didn't think it would be so bad at all.