Auriella woke up with a jolt. She was met with an early-morning sky, a dark navy blue with faint streaks of purple, announcing that dawn was nearing. She pulled herself to sit up, ruffling her cold white sheets, and looked back up to the open sky, the only barrier between her and the stars being the glass of the observatory.

The small fragments of the dream she just had crept back into her head. Deja-vu washed over her as she remembered that in her dream, she also awoke with a jolt to the same sky and the early morning air. Only, she remembered she was in a different bed, one that had four posters and transparent lace shrouding all sides. She recalled the heaviness she felt in her heart, the painful ache in her belly, and when she slipped out of bed to walk towards the open balcony that led into the drowsy sky, she found a person waiting for her.

A boy. Maybe a few inches taller than her but at least six years younger. He was waiting for her in a strange outfit of beige and purple robes that belted around his waist. The child wore a crown that wrapped around his head with hanging beads or jewels– Auriella couldn’t really tell– that would swing against his hair whenever he moved.

Auriella couldn’t really depict his face, but she knew that his lips were moving as he pointed towards something at a distance. Auriella looked towards his focus and found a marvelous city of marble and silver. Buildings stood tall with intricate, wide pillars; domes were painted with vibrant colors in Renaissance detail, all fringed with gold; and sidewalks were separated by gentle streams of water where a few small boats, lit by a yellow lantern, floated and carried people away.

But Auriella quickly understood it wasn’t the city the child was pointing to but rather to the encroaching darkness at the edges of it. Like a tide, heavy black smoke pushed and pulled as it slowly crept its way into the city. And when Auriella pressed her fingers against the marbled railings of her balcony, squinting her eyes to discern the figure emerging from the smoke, the child beside her whispered, “It’s begun.”

Auriella whipped her head to the child but only found a tall being, dressed crisply in a suit and red tie, with its eyes and nose scribbled out. The only thing Auriella remembered seeing clearly were the large, spiraled horns of the being, and the long-nailed hand it held out with the words, “I found you” spilling from its blackened lips.

That was when Auriella awoke, heart startled, fingers tingly, and the hairs of her body standing.

Now that she thought about it, rising from her bed and going down the stairs to fetch a glass of water, everything about that dream was strange. Strange, in that, everything was so new yet so familiar at the same time. She had never seen that child before, and yet, a slight melancholy settled in her chest, almost as if she missed him.

Then that black-lipped being crossed her mind. Auriella shivered. She recognized that creature, too, only it wasn’t longing that she felt for it but rather…

Animosity?

Helplessness?

Fear?

Auriella pulled out a glass and filled it with water.

“No, not fear,” Auriella murmured to herself.

Then what was it?

As she lifted the glass to her lips, the door to the observatory tower burst open. Auriella choked out the water and darted her head towards the intruder, her body ready to attack, despite it convulsing with heavy coughs.

“Wait, wait!” The intruder began, collapsing to the floor. Auriella squinted at the figure as she recognized the voice. “It’s just me.”

Her body relaxed. “Kian?” She went to turn on the nearest light, and when Kian appeared into her sight, bloodied, bruised, and panting, Auriella let out a slight gasp. “Oh, my God. What happened?”

“Some fight with a burly man I came across in the streets,” he replied, groaning as he tried to pull himself to his feet. He didn’t go any further past lifting his chest up.

Auriella rushed to assist him. “You got into a fight with a street thug?”

“Is that what you call them?” When he found himself back upright, Kian gestured towards the chair to sit. Auriella led him to the dining table and carefully set the bruised boy down.

She observed him. “You look terrible.”

“Thank you. I feel terrible as well.”

Auriella sat beside him. “How did this happen?”

Kian brushed his hair back. Though smiling, his eyes were exhausted. “I’m not entirely sure. One moment, I was walking back from the convenience store. The next, I was sucker punched to the floor. I was beaten up twice in one month. I should set a new record.”

“Did you do something for that thug to punch you?”

Kian frowned. “You wound me, Auriella. And no. I was just crossing the street. Maybe I gave him a punch or two that might have provoked him… But I assure you, that was after the first punch, which he threw. It was all in self-defense.”

Auriella pursed her lips. It wasn’t anything strange that a person would randomly get beat up while crossing the street early in the morning before sunrise– there were a lot of thugs in the city. Yet again, it wasn’t extremely common either, especially in this neighborhood or even on the streets of Astro Cafe.

“Perhaps he struck me because I gave him a smile,” Kian added. “I’ve gotten into a few encounters where my face surely irked a few people. Enough to warrant a punch or a strike.” He gave her an ‘including you’ look. “He was ugly, too, if you wanted to know. Perhaps it was out of jealousy that he beat me to a pulp.”

Now that… maybe that was more reasonable. There were a few moments Auriella wanted to hit the boy simply because of the smug look he would display after a girl from the cafe gave him her phone number. And it wasn’t anything new that people envied the charm and beauty Kian possessed. As much as he had friends in school, he had haters, enemies even.

Auriella considered Kian’s theory as the best explanation for the strange encounter.

“I’m glad that you’re not dead,” Auriella began, rising up to find the small medicine basket Asclepius left for her to use. She didn’t think it would be handy, until now.

“Well, I am a Zodiac Warrior.”

“And you’d think a Zodiac Warrior wouldn’t get beaten to a pulp.” Auriella shook her head.

Kian shrugged. “As I’ve said before. I only know the basics of self-defense. Hand-to-hand combat isn’t my speciality.”

Auriella raised a brow, setting the basket down. “And your specialties are…?”

“Espionage, mind games, a little bit of self-control.” He placed his cheek against his palm, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Women.”

Auriella belted out a laugh. “That’s hilarious.”

“It’s true. In more ways than one.” His fingers drummed against his face. “You don’t seem to agree, and it intrigues me.”

Auriella rolled her eyes. “The Archfiend would have to invade us first before I’d even give it a thought.”

Kian made a sound similar to water spilled on top of a stove. “You’re quite harsh. I’ve never received a rejection as cruel as yours.”

Auriella smiled. “Whatever.” She picked up the bottle labeled Bruises and External Injuries Only and handed it to Kian. It was the same concoction that he made Auriella drink a few weeks ago. “Now drink this. Asclepius said you’ve had it before.”

“That abominable elixir,” Kian sighed. “I’d rather suffer in pain than drink it.”

“Well, you’ll be suffering either way.” Auriella tapped the bottle. “Just one chug and you’re done.”

“Easier said than done, and you know it.” Kian pulled the cap off and cringed, his nose flaring at the scent. He glanced at her. “You know what would make this process easier, Auriella? If you were to feed this abomination to me. From your lips, of course.”

“Only when the Archfiend invades.”

“At least I have a chance.” With one sigh, he lifted the bottle to his lips and gulped down its contents. In a matter of minutes, the injuries on Kian’s body glimmered until the purple patches disappeared and the worn-look of his body rejuvenated. “It tastes terrible but at least it works.”

Auriella observed him. Even though he was healed from his wounds, the exhaustion in Kian’s eyes remained. Based on her experience with Asclepius’ potion, it should have restored Kian’s condition not just to a physically healthy state but also improved his mood. But there was still a certain darkness to his eyes, the same fatigue– and maybe a small glimmer of dejection– that dimmed the usual sparkle in his amber irises.

“Are you okay, Kian?” Auriella asked after a moment of silence.

Kian looked at her with wide eyes as if she’d ask him if he believed in aliens. “Yes, quite so. Do I not look alright?”

Auriella pursed her lips. Whether people realized it or not, the things they suppressed and withheld from others, be it emotions, thoughts, desires or fears; all of it would eventually rise up to the surface for curious or dangerous people to spot and pick at. Auriella was no genius or masterfully observant, but she was cautious.

Cautious people always had something to hide, and anyone who had something to hide always recognized the hidden secrets of others. It was like liars spotting out another liar amongst a crowd.

A black sheep finding another one of its kind in a herd of innocents.

Asclepius’ words from before echoed in the back ends of Auriella’s head.

The Goddess had an unbreakable bond with the Zodiac Warriors. You must do the same and gain their trust.

The Zodiacs won’t allow her to wield them otherwise.

“I know I’m nowhere close to whatever person the Goddess was,” Auriella began. “But you should know, Kian, that I’m not stupid or incompetent either. Maybe I’m a bit of a handful, but it’s not like I’m naive or weak. If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me. You are my responsibility now just as much as I am to you. And you are my friend, too, so know that you can reach out to me, especially if you’re tired or bothered by something.”

Kian sat there, round eyes boring holes into Auriella. His fingers began fidgeting, and he looked away for a moment, a contemplative and stern expression on his face. Soon after though, Auriella noticed his shoulders relaxing, his lips puckering to exhale a small breath, and he looked at her not with his usual winning smile but with a small grin. One that wasn’t forced. One that was struggling and lonely even. One that seemed so natural on his face but not at the same time.

“Thank you, Auriella,” he said, his voice soft and velvet-like. “I appreciate it. There is actually a favor I want to ask of you.”

Wow, so soon already, Auriella thought to herself, but she nodded anyway.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” He asked.

That caught Auriella off guard, but nevertheless she replied, “Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?”

“A flower shop,” Kian answered.

A flower shop?