Chapter 4: The Equilibrium

~Third Person P.O.V~

Leo felt himself grasp at his throat for air, feeling as though someone had tied a tight knot around his windpipe. He clenched his eyes and heaved with every ounce of his being until suddenly a sharp pain shot up his spine all the way to his nape then through his skull.

*GASP*

Leo shot up in bed, breathing heavily. This would not be unusual at all, he had frequent nightmares after all. Though.. this time was different.

His warm chocolate eyes scanned the room, slowly moving from left to right. The room he was in as well-lit, the walls were of cobblestone and granite. There were several other beds in the room, a table by his side with what looked to be.. surgical instruments resting on a metal tray.. though he didn't recognize any from the books he's read about medicine during his time at the orphanage. Looking down he saw that he had been laying down on what looked to be a metal operating table- that's when it hit him. The memories of the night before, the beatings, the tears.. the blood. Try as he might though, he remembered... but mere hazy flashes of pain.

His gaze traveled from the metal table to his slim pale fingers, his eyes widened as they continued up until his arm then down to his slim torso. To his surprise he didn't have a single bruise on him instead.. he was drenched in a dark crimson liquid, he recognized the metallic scent.

"Blood.." he felt a chill run down his spine, though to his surprise not only did he have no bruises he had no cuts either. That's when he realized it wasn't his, it couldn't be. Why was he drenched in it? Who bathed him in blood? And perhaps the most important question running through his mind.. if it wasn't his blood, then who's was it?

Leo then noticed another bed, his vision had cleared, he saw his sister, laying there, arms crossed over her chest.

"Ashley!" Leo called out, a look of worry crossing his face as he climbed out of bed. His legs dangled off the side of the bed, looking down he saw he had been stripped to his pants, though even they were soaked red. He let his pale bare feet touch the cold cobblestone floor, though surprisingly he barely flinched at the cold, instead, his legs were still far too weak, he dropped to his knees, barely managing to avoid falling flat on his face, he slowly righted himself, finding his center of gravity.

Leo made his way to his sister, surprisingly he was now neither weak nor disoriented, he wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he worried for his sister, or whatever it is that cured him, did so quite well.

"Ashley! Wake up, please.. oh gods.." he said, shaking his sister awake. Seeing that she too was drenched in blood, a look of horror took hold his face as a grim thought crossed his mind.

"Hhrrn- haah.. ah.. hah..." Ashley gasped awake, clenching her fists and slamming them against the metal table as her dark raven hair hung down, covering her face.

"Oh thank the gods you're alright!" Leo exclaimed, hugging his sister warmly.

"L-leo.." Ashley cleared her throat as she turned to her brother, moving the hair from her face. "Where.. where are we?" She asked her brother, seemingly just as confused as he was.

"I don't know..." Leo answered, as they both looked around noting the strange symbols and glyphs around the room, marking the cobblestone walls and providing light.

"In any case, I know we aren't in the orphanage anymore. We'd best find answers from someone who can give them." Ashley said, pulling off the white sheet that had been covering her, her clothes torn to reveal more skin, stained red with the crimson liquid.

"You aren't worried about the-" Leo was cut off.

"Blood? I know it isn't mine, we're both drenched in it. Though.." her voice trailed off as she got out of bed, standing with her brother. "Based on our current circumstances we'd best be careful, I doubt anyone right in the head would bathe someone in blood." She said, as she walked towards the wall.

"Agreed." Leo said as he followed his sister.

Suddenly the lone door in the room, marked with intricate gray signs creaked open. Ashley signaling Leo to hide and hush.

"Ah, I thought I heard you two moving around in here". An elderly looking man dressed in an expensive-looking black trench coat said, standing in the doorway a warm and inviting expression on his face.

"You! You're the one who saved us." Leo said, as Ashley stayed quiet.

"Yeah, I remember now... Apollo?" Leo asked.

"Well, it's nice to see that you haven't forgotten me yet." The man smiled at them, he was about to take a step closer when Ashley spoke up.

"Just who the hell are you? Why are we here? Where exactly is "here"? Why did you save us?" Ashley bombarded the man with questions, eyeing daggers at him, and pushing her brother behind her.

"I forgot just how much of a firebrand you are.. Ashley." He said, the warm expression never leaving his face, lightly rubbing the red gemstone on his cane, he spoke.

"So many questions too, I can answer only the first and the last. The rest... I'd rather show you." He said, shifting his weight to his can, he opened his mouth to speak, Ashley's gaze not leaving him for a second.

"I already said who I am before, my name is Apollo and the reason I saved you is that I believe you both have the potential to become.. something great, to grow and that I know you both deserve a chance to be happy... a place where you can belong." The man smiled.

"Come, walk with me." The man spoke, as he slowly turned and began to walk away.

"Should we follow him?" Leo asked his sister.

"What choice do we have?" Ashley answered.

The pair followed suit, entering a long cobblestone hallway with large archways on one side, a light grey glyph floating in front of the stone beneath the arch, providing light to the hallway.

"Now.. I've been trying to find.. individuals like you two for quite sometime." Apollo said, taking slow and short strides, the rhythmic sound of his walk and cane hitting the cobblestone floor echoed as he walked.

"Individuals like us..?" Leo asked, his pale bare feet hitting the cobblestone floor.

"Yes, like you two. Both of you have quite the innate connection, an outstanding affinity for magic." Apollo said, stressing the last few phrases.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley said, stopping in her tracks. "Magic isn't real, furthermore you seem to be deranged to think we or anyone else has a connection with it in the first place!"

"Oh...? Do you not remember the night I saved you? What both you and your brother did?" The man paused, slowly turning his torso slightly to face them.

Truth be told, both Leo and Ashley had brief flashes of that night but nothing too vivid, nor anything they'd believe at face value. The pair exchanged a look then went silent.

"Perhaps... a refresher is in order." Apollo raised one gloved finger, Ashley staring at him with caution in her eyes. Suddenly, a small orange flame appeared above his fingertips, allowing it to spiral down his finger and into his palm as he opened it, letting it flicker and dance in his open palm before lowering it and pinching the flame, its form suddenly freezing into a single large snowflake.

"That remind you?" Apollo said, slowly handing the snowflake to Ashley, both her and her brother looking at it in disbelief.

"Still not enough? I think it's about time I showed you where we actually are." Apollo said, twisting his cane and raising a hand as the glyph on the wall to his side began to vibrate, cracks spreading from his cane to the wall until the sound of glass shattering is heard and all the glyphs on that side of the wall vanish.. along with the stone.

Leo and Ashley stepped forward, their mouths agape as they saw magical tomes flying, spiraling around a fount of blue energy. A light gray mist slightly clouding the sight. Their eyes moved lower first, noting that they were on one of the higher levels of some sort of complex, dozens of people garbed in varying attire moved about the different levels, the sound of chatter and footsteps, laughter and incantations filled the halls. On the lowest level they could see a large open hall with the symbol of a golden weighing scale on a dark blue background, a great number of intricately designed glyphs surrounding it in a circle. Hanging pots full of lush greenery overflowing from their brims dangling down.

"Welcome to the Equilibrium."