Ari crept through the dark corridors of the temple. They had gotten out of the prison with ease which worried him. The man that once guarded the door disappeared. As he looked around, he could not see a thing which unnerved him. Ari closed his eyes and listened to footsteps up above them and water dripping down from the ceiling causing his eyebrows to furrow. It was too quiet. Far too quiet. Ari put a hand out in front of Inge.

"We should not go on the first floor. Something is wrong here."

"Demons, Ari. It is demons." Inge shifted Auovin's weight on his shoulder as he moved forward against Ari's reluctance.

"If Auovin is like this—" Ari stood in front of him making Inge sigh out. "If he is like this, he cannot go up there."

"Would you rather us die here instead? Above, there are humans and they will do anything to protect this wretched place."

"Inge—"

"Oh, what? You worry for him now? Boo hoo you," Inge snuffed and carried on ahead up the stairs. "He is like this because of you, after all. You should feel responsible."

Ari's throat felt dry as he trailed silently behind them. Although Freir and Rein had been hiding things from him, he cared about their safety more than anything. He had to make sure they were gone from this place before the demons arrived. Ari stared at Auovin's back and lowered his eyes after a moment. If what he had said was true and he had taken his blood... Ari looked at his hands. He was what he was. Ari swallowed. In order to have his questions answered, he needed to keep him alive. He had no choice but to prioritize him first.

Just as Ari reached the top of the stairs, Ari saw a fire burning from the candle and spreading onto the ground. It lit up the multiple bodies of Sanclii spread across the floor; their blood seeping into the tiled floor. Across some of them, bodies of seeres were dead and still. As Ari stared closer, it seemed as if they would swallow his entire soul if he let it. He took a step backward and fell onto a dying Xem causing him to roll away before its talons could sink into his arm.

Ari grabbed a sword from out of one of the soldier's hands and plunged it into the chest of a Xem lurking in the shadows. More came out and attacked, but Ari dodged them and turned to see where Inge and Auovin had gone off to. He turned around just as a Xem jumped onto his back and sank its teeth into his back. Ari slammed his back into a nearby pillar and shoved his elbow into its face until it came back with black blood.

"Inge!" Ari called out but he did not see them anywhere. The entrance, Ari thought.

He ran around the corner and stopped as soon as he heard demons devouring something. As he peaked his head through the corner black eyes met his causing Ari's eyes to go wide. They had long nails that scrapped against the floor and skin that looked burnt and charred, decayed even. Pieces of skin and flesh from a Sanclius was hanging from its teeth and claws as one rose to approach him. He had never seen a demon like this one before. It cocked his head and grinned with a mouth full of jagged teeth stained with blood.

It charged and let out a screech causing Ari to swing his sword with strength behind it causing the head of it to fall off. Another came and attacked. Ari swung it the moment it tried to go for his arm causing it to become split into two. Ari tried to cover his mouth before his stomach could feel the need to dispel any food left in his stomach at the sight of dozens of Sanclii torn to pieces and dozens more of demons bodies pooled around them.

"Auovin," he cried out weakly as his eyes burned and clouded with water. He ran a shaky hand through his hair as a sense of hopelessness and dread consumed him.

"Ari!" he heard his name being called from the second floor causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Ari!" Freir shouted.

Ari pursed his lips as he wiped at his eyes not wanting to listen to him any longer. He was fine just knowing that he was alive. The sounds of demons came next causing Ari's heart to fall to his stomach. Still, he did not bother to go up to the second floor. He needed to find Auovin first. Ari headed further down the first floor looking left and right for any signs of them, but all he saw was the aftermath of a battle that came so quick he did not hear a thing.

"Behind you!" Rein tackled him to the ground as a whyhil attacked from behind a pillar.

"Have we taught you nothing? Stop and listen to your surroundings!" Rein hissed.

A pack of them circled around the two of them.

"You said this place would be safe," Ari said after a moment of silence.

"That demon had planned all of this. It knew." Ari looked at Rein's face as his eyebrows kneaded together. "It knew that this would happen. Ari, do not trust a single word that it says. Never."

Although Rein said that, Ari thought differently. He no longer cared for their words so much as he once did. They had lied to him, and Auovin had been the one to save him. He could not abandon him now.

One lunged for his throat causing Ari to fall onto his back and press his sword inside the wolf demon's mouth until it went all the way through. It's blood spattered and dripped onto Ari causing him to turn his head away before any could get into his mouth. He kicked the body away and continued to stay crouched. Two were closing in on him and he had no time to worry about Rein. He looked a little past the demons and saw a narrow passageway. He would go through there, Ari figured and focused his attention back onto the demons.

Their growls grew and soon they attacked. One would go for his sword arm; the other his throat. Just as they attacked Ari dropped to the ground keeping his sword raised. It cut open one's stomach causing it to drop to the ground. Ari threw the sword before the other had time to react and it went straight through its neck pinning it to the ground.

Ari wasted no time running to the passageway. As soon as he was inside, he noticed a trail of black blood. It was the blackest he had ever seen for a demon even.

"Ari!" Inge shouted. "Help me with him."

Inge had scratches and some bite marks going down the sides of his arms, but other than that, he looked well enough.

"Hurry now!"

Ari went to Auovin's side hoping that he was conscious but he was not.

"He has lost too much blood and now more will come."

Ari looked at Inge wanting answers to his questions. Why were demons coming for him? Were they not on the same side just as the Khaeo had always thought them to be?

"Ari, he is a blood demon, like you and I. When one is weak others will not waste the opportunity to finish the job. They can smell death like vultures. A bunch of bottom feeders, they are."

Ari struggled to lift him up on his own. Just as he was pushing him forward and towards Inge's back, his arms gave out causing Auovin to topple onto him. He felt Auovin's lips at his neck making Ari turn his head away.

"Careful!" Inge said as he hoisted Auovin onto himself. "A bite from him and you will die. He will want more blood than you could possibly offer. Such a bantling thing you are. If only I could be a hundred again. Oh, those were the years... "

"Then Cyrus—"

"He is waiting outside for us."

Ari's eyes narrowed but he thought nothing more of it. He finished helping Auovin onto Inge's back without question. He would have his answers soon enough.

The fire had spread down the hall but they were nearing windows now. They had already been broken into and had traces of blood and skin left by demons.

"I will go over first," Ari said as he knocked the remaining glass out from the frame and climbed through.

He checked around for any demons, but only saw Sanclii killing off the rest of the demons who were left alive. Seeres were crawling back into the shadows as their fallen laid dying in a heap. One Sanclius threw oil onto the pile of bodies and another threw a torch. They hated smelling the death of their own which warded them off. As soon as they trekked back to the entrance Ari climbed onto a small boulder and waved to Inge. Inge brought Auovin forward causing Ari to hold him in a hug.

"The back of your neck. Make sure his face is there," Inge whispered as he disappeared off somewhere."

Ari did as was told bringing his face towards the back of his neck. His body was heavy, so dragging him away from the window by himself took a lot of effort. However, he was able to get him down and into a dark recess of the building before the Sanclii had seen them. Ari looked around again and heard nothing but the fire crackling and hissing. They were safe, for now.

No matter how much he tried, Ari could not peel his eyes away from Auovin. He knew what he was and what he was capable of. In truth, he was better off dead like the Khaeo would have wanted. He was sure that was what they were going to do with him after feeding him his blood. Ari leaned in closer feeling the itching need to touch him, but he balled his hand into a fist before he could reach him and put it back to his side. It was strange not seeing his honeyed eyes staring back at him, mocking him almost. He saw his eyelashes flutter causing his own eyes to widen. Before he could investigate further, someone came from behind him and dragged him back like a rag doll. His face hit the dirt as he landed a bit away.

Ari's eyes lowered to the ground once he saw a steady stream of blond hair going down the person's back. He very well knew who he was then and he had right of it. Auovin was like that because of him. Ari watched in silence as Cyrus cupped his face in his hand. As Ari looked closer, he noticed he was riffled with bites and scratches. Cyrus looked exhausted himself. He stared at Cyrus as he picked Auovin up with ease and continued away from the temple.

"Will he be okay?" Ari asked in a low voice.

Cyrus only gave him a look and carried on.

If they were the same, Ari did not know why Cyrus hated him so much. He did nothing to warrant such ill feelings. There was no sense of belonging. None at all. In the end, Ari knew he was much more human than he would ever be a demon. Maybe that was what upset him.

Inge came out the building with his hands up as a bloodied Freir held a knife up to his throat. Rein followed them out.

"Get your humans, Ari."

"Hush!" Inge flinched away from the blade as it sunk a bit into his neck drawing blood.

"Why are you so angry?" Inge asked causing Rein to narrow his eyes at him as he held onto his arm drenched in blood. Freir threw him on the ground right next to Ari.

"Do you know?" Freir asked as he stared into his eyes but Ari could only look at him silence trying his best not to let his emotions show through to his face. He felt hurt and betrayed, but he would not say either of those things.

Freir bent down towards his face.

"Do you know what you are now? Are you happy now?"

Ari turned his head away but Freir yanked it back causing tears to run down his face.

"It does not matter to me, boy. It should not matter to you either."

How could he say that? That it should not matter to him? It was the reason for all of his mistreatment and not being able to become what they were.

"Nolan told us not to tell," Rein said. "Let us take you to him and—"

"No."

"Ari—"

"I want answers and I will find them."

"Nolan will—" Freir tried to say but Ari cut him off.

"Myself. I will find them myself." They were nothing but wretched liars that would continue to lie to him. Ari watched as Rein looked at Freir as if waiting for Freir to reprimand him, but he stayed silent.

"That is it, Ari!" Inge chimed in as he clapped his hands and smiled, but Rein pointed a sword at his neck silencing him for a moment.

"Why do you continue to speak? You never seem to stop," Rein hissed.

"I tend to ramble more when I see beautiful things and beautiful people," Inge winked and grinned, unfazed. Inge touched the tip of the blade and continued to stare at Rein with the same eyes Ari found Auovin staring at him with. Inge wanted to eat him.

"Very well then, Ari," Ari heard Freir say. "We shall try it your way and then we will do it my way. You are young and quite impressionable. You will have no choice but to learn these kinds of life lessons the hard way."

"Freir, we have no time for this!" Rein yelled but Freir put a hand up.

"He will go with him no matter what we say, Rein. ...And we can gather our strength in the meantime."

Rein scoffed.

"Go on," Freir said. "Go follow him."

Ari stared at Freir not believing his words.

"Go, we will follow."

Inge wasted no time and rose picking Ari up along with him.

"This way," Inge said smiling.

Ari's heart warmed at the thought of seeing him again. He could not help the feeling. With him, he knew he could find comfort for the aching feeling in his chest that was tearing him into pieces.