“I give up,” Auriella exhaled, falling back onto her bed. Then she rose up, slapping her cheeks.

No, don’t be a pussy.

That was the old Auriella.

I’m different now, she reminded herself. No more running away. No more avoiding.

That was the agreement she had made to herself.

But still.

Auriella fell back onto her bed. Asclepius’ training was intense. And he was surprisingly strong. As in, incredibly, shockingly strong. Despite Auriella’s somewhat developed self-defense skills, she felt like a novice once Asclepius began showing off his real moves. The first time they practiced, he wasn’t even trying but rather, testing what Auriella already knew. Once the real, hardcore lessons began, the man landed a few punches to her arms and chest. He never hit her face though because he believed that beauty must always be preserved in any fight, deadly or not.

Better to die beautiful then die hideous, he told her.

It had been a few weeks now since her first lesson, and Auriella showed a bit of improvement. She was proud when she was able to pin Asclepius to the floor for about five seconds before being toppled by him in retaliation. When Auriella told Kian about it, he patted her head, told her he was proud, and treated her to a bowl of hot noodle soup. The validation she received that day felt good enough to mute the painful bruises on her skin.

Auriella heard a knock from below her loft and a voice that called, “Auriella, can I come in?”

Auriella fixed herself and headed down the stairs. “Yeah, sure.”

Asclepius walked in with a tray of vials, filled with all kinds of colored liquid, and a steaming bowl of water.

“What’s all this?” She asked.

“Medicine.” Asclepius set the tray down on the dining table. “All homemade and all natural.”

Auriella picked up a strange-looking vial. Its liquid was colored a bright magenta that would stick to the glass every time it moved. She turned it over to read the label.

“Cardiac arrest inducer.” Auriella quirked a brow.

“Oh, dear.” Asclepius laughed innocently. “What’s that doing there? Here, let me take it.” Asclepius reached for the vial, and it vanished in his hand.

As he began pouring the vials into the steaming water, Auriella leaned against the table and watched him.

“We haven’t actually talked, Asclepius,” Auriella started. “As in talked-talked, ever since Kian awakened.”

“We are conversing right now, aren’t we?” Asclepius poured into the bowl a vial of dark green liquid, and it created a small explosion of sparkles. It smelled awful. “You just need to ask questions.”

“I have, but you’ve just been deflecting and evading.”

“Kinda like you?” He remarked.

Auriella had no retort to the statement. For once.

“You just have to ask the right questions,” he corrected himself. He waved his hand over the bowl and its contents stirred. When he was finished, he handed it to Auriella. “Drink it. It should cure your bruises. It worked for the Gemini’s face after you sucker punched him.”

So, that’s how his injuries healed so quickly, Auriella thought to herself. She took a look at the bowl and almost gagged. She set it aside, postponing the ingestion of the nauseating thing for a few more moments.

“Who are you really?” Auriella asked abruptly. “Was Axle just the name you gave to your mortal life?”

Asclepius wiped his hands. “My situation is not like the Gemini’s or the other Zodiac Warriors. Remember, I was here way before Stalera’s fall. Axle, the coffee connoisseur and businessman, is not a facade. He is who I am now. I’ve long shedded my identity as Asclepius.”

A moment of silence passed between them until Auriella said, “Kian mentioned that you were of the Ophiuchus Clan. I tried to look the Clan up in an Ihimyan textbook, but I found nothing on it.” She paused. During her first few nights in the observatory tower, Auriella had trouble sleeping and decided to skim through some pages in her textbook, The History of Existence. She had made a mental note before to learn more about the Ophiuchus Clan since she’d never heard of it. But not one section in the book mentioned anything about the mysterious clan.

“Oh, and don’t ask me how I managed to get an Ihimyan textbook,” Auriella added.

Asclepius nodded. “I won’t. But as for the Ophiuchus Clan, you will never find information on it. That Clan no longer exists, and any documents proving its existence have long been burned or buried. It’s taboo to even talk about it back in Stalera, even during the time before the Goddess was born.

“If you wanna know a fun fact,” Asclepius continued, “Ophiuchus was technically the thirteenth Zodiac Clan during the early years of the reign of the Goddess’ predecessor, but due to internal conflicts and genocides within the clan, they were never recognized as a respectable Zodiac.”

Auriella leaned in, curious. “Then if the Ophiuchus Clan no longer exists, why did Kian say you were from it?”

“If it isn’t obvious already, I am the last of my clan,” he answered. “A survivor, you could say. My parents handed me away when I was a baby to a friend before they were slaughtered by their own clanspeople. I never got to know them.”

“I didn’t know you had a dark past, too,” Auriella commented.

“Well, that’s subjective.” Asclepius shrugged. “Whether or not something is dark or traumatic is decided by the person who experienced the event. If you choose to view it as a dark, troubling past, then that’s how you see it. I, for one, believe I’ve had a great childhood, despite my rough origin, and I’ve lived a fairly blessed life thus far.” He chuckled. “But if you asked me back then, when I first got here, on how I felt about life, I’d tell you it was utter shit. Yet again, I had just been exiled from Stalera, so of course my whole perspective on life was covered in crap and animosity. However, in hindsight, I’m grateful for the exile. I’ve learned, and I’ve grown, and now I’m happy here.”

“Why were you exiled?”

Asclepius frowned. “Out of all the wisdom I just said, that was the only thing you heard?” Asclepius sighed as she shrugged. “I had a disagreement with a Zodiac Warrior which led to an altercation; I was put on trial, the Zodiac Warriors and the Goddess found me guilty, and then I found myself on Earth. The end. I’ve patched things up with the Goddess soon after though, and the Gemini and I became great friends, since Asteria would always send him on spy missions on Earth. Under Norman’s watch, of course.”

Asclepius stretched his arms. “And that’s it for my backstory. Surely not as interesting as the Gemini’s or the other Zodiac Warriors, but it’s still worth telling nevertheless.” He then shot Auriella a look. “Now, it’s time to drink up. No more stalling.”

Auriella gulped as she glanced at the concoction.

“Is this your power?” Auriella asked. “Stirring up shit?”

Asclepius laughed. “That’s hilarious.” His lips then curled into a frown. “And no. I make potions for healing and killing. Now drink, Riel.”

Auriella inhaled sharply. Better to get it done with, she thought. And quickly. She took the bowl and lifted it to her lips, chugging its contents down. It felt absolutely disgusting. It was sour and the texture felt like curdled milk that literally swam down her throat and into her stomach. The whole ordeal was the worst fifteen seconds of Auriella’s life. When she finished, she slammed the bowl on the table and lurched forward, trying her best to contain the liquid from crawling back into and out of her mouth.

Auriella parted her lips to say something sarcastic, but a tingling feeling replaced all the sore bruises on her body. She watched as patches of light made her skin glow, the purple marks disappearing into her skin tone. It took about a minute or so for the concoction to clean up Auriella’s injuries, and once it was finished, her body felt brand new.

“Well, what do you think?” Asclepius beamed.

“It tasted like shit,” Auriella replied, inspecting her limbs. “But that was cool.”

“Do you wanna know its main ingredient?”

Auriella looked at him weirdly. “Probably not–”

“My skin.”

Auriella gagged. As in, her throat contracted at the simple knowledge that her boss’ epidermis swam down her throat and settled into her stomach. Auriella covered her mouth, doing her best not to startle her stomach’s contents to rise up.

“Why did you tell me that?” She hissed through gritted teeth.

“Because you asked to talk-talk,” Asclepius replied. “Which I took as getting to know me more. Right there, you have experienced the Ophiuchus’ mighty power. My skin has its own healing properties that can do wonders to an injured or even paralyzed body if ingested, while the ingestion of my blood has the capacity to kill and disable.” Asclepius shook a finger at her. “But make note, Riel, I am not like the Cancer who can heal based on touch. You have to eat my skin to be healed, so that’s why I make potions. Makes the whole ordeal easier to digest. Pun intended.”

Auriella had no response for him. She feared that if she even opened her mouth to breathe, she might vomit and then Asclepius would have to make her another concoction.

“If it makes you feel better, you took this much better than the Gemini did.” Asclepius gathered his vials and lifted the tray. “Castor and I actually had to physically restrain him. He wasn’t that big on tasting another person’s skin and all.”

Isn’t everyone? Auriella wanted to say, but she felt another gag in her throat.

“This is another lesson, Riel,” Asclepius began as he opened the door. “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, seeing that you’re naturally curious and often take the initiative. Nevertheless, I’ll still remind you. Learn who you are working with. The Goddess had an unbreakable bond with the Zodiac Warriors. You must do the same and gain their trust, just as they earn your trust through loyalty. They won’t allow you to wield them otherwise.”

With that, Asclepius left the observatory tower. To her surprise, Auriella no longer felt nauseous.

“Your eyes are open, Auriella,” Kian reminded.

Auriella rolled her eyes. They’d been sitting on the floor of the observatory apartment for a good hour now and all they’ve been doing was closing their eyes. Kian had his legs crossed, and he instructed Auriella to do the same. This was what he called meditation. Auriella sucked at it; that part she knew. She had to do the very same when she was in Ihimya and was always scolded by Norman for her constant fidgeting. But Auriella couldn’t help it. Her attention span didn’t last long enough for meaningless “ohms” and mental walks along the beach.

“It is not meaningless,” Kian said.

“We’re reading minds now?” Auriella leaned back on her hands.

Kian raised his eyelids. “This is essential for your training, Auriella. You can’t possibly fight if you can’t manage your emotions or have a peace of mind. Fighting is more than just brute strength and physical capabilities. It’s the mind as well.” He cleared his throat. “Now, let’s try it again. I need you to tap into your thoughts. Your emotions. All of it. Your happiness, your misery, your memories, and your fears. Connect with them.”

Auriella pursed her lips but followed Kian’s orders. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees. She closed her eyes. Within seconds, Auriella thought about how much homework she had to do after this idiotic lesson with Kian. Then she thought about whether or not Kian did this meditation often. He seemed pretty good at it; he was strict, too. Maybe he needed this to control the more dangerous parts of him that were difficult to rein.

It didn’t take long, though, until the thought of danger sent her spiraling down a rabbit hole of reminiscence.

Danger was present the moment she was born, Auriella realized as she skimmed through her memories. That was how she ended up in Grandmama’s care in the first place. Then when Grandmama died, danger began to follow her, taking her to great lengths and tragedies… just like what happened in Ihimya.

No. Auriella breathed. Don’t think about that. Now’s not the time–

The demons. The chaos. The screams. The bodies.

Stop it, Riel.

Norman. The bloodshed. The mages. Her friends.

Stop, stop, stop–

The ferry. Her tutor. The ferry. Her–

Riner.

Their face flashed into Auriella’s mind, the memory as clear and as vivid as if it were playing before her.

Their smile.

Their face.

Their screams.

Their final lesson to her.

“It’s your life, Auriella,” they gasped. “It always has been. So, live it. Now go! Quit being stubborn, dammit! Auriella, go! Go!”

Auriella opened her eyes. She was surprised to find herself calm. Her hands didn’t shake this time and neither did she feel as if the world around her was crumbling. She managed to relive that brief scene without panic.

The girl didn’t know whether she should feel relieved, excited, or lonely.

“I think I did it,” Auriella whispered.

“Hm?” Kian opened his eyes. “Did you say something?”

“I think I can do it, Kian,” she said. “I can actually try to… meditate.”

Kian’s lips melted into a soft, understanding grin. “Great. Let’s do it once more then.”