"Why do you look upon me with such an expression? Do you think me a liar?" The demon wiped his eye, not bothering to even look at Ari. "Or rather a frightful beast with teeth bathed in the blood of the innocent? Must the tiger be a beast for living off the lives of the animals it feeds from? It is living, surviving. What wrong has it committed?"

Ari looked at the demon getting visibly upset.

"Must I be such a beast because I live off the blood of others?" the demon said, this time looking at Ari. "If so, I wonder what it makes you."

"I do not look at you as a beast," Ari finally said. "Your mannerisms... and actions... are strange to me is all."

"Are they?" The demon laughed. "And the human's ways are not? Whose fault was it to look upon us as gods, raise us up high and proud? Bowed their heads in honor of their said gods? I never asked to be looked upon as one. And look as I lay on the pile of bones of said believers. Hear how their bones rattle and crack, ravaged by the ages of time. Unlike them, I am everlasting and thought once to forget that."

"Look how the walls are painted in red and the water fills this once great hall with my silent tears and anguish through the centuries. Even the sky cries for the wrongs that had been done unto me, and to us."

Ari looked at Cyrus, growing apprehensive by the moment. But like Cyrus, there was pain in his voice.

"What beasts are we compared to them?"

"The gods you speak of... " Ari said. They could not possibly have been the Khaeo's gods. They could not be Freir's or Rein's gods they pray so fervently to... could they? They could not be those gods who Nolan tried so hard to make him believe him. Not the ones who he cut the palms of his hands for and not the ones who he long since thought abandoned him.

"Tell me your name," the demon said.

"I do not want to," Ari said with so much distaste the demon sat up properly in his chair and looked at him.

"I am an elder and still you-- "

"He is young... and he was raised by humans. He does not know of our ways. Forgive him in this," Cyrus said on his behalf.

"I do not care for the excuses. If he were someone else's child, there would be little discussion. However, I am his uncle, so I have some part of the blame for his lack of... education, I suppose." The demon rose from his chair and walked down the pile of bones and into the water.

"You revere such creatures who taught you to hate yourself and to fear what you are. To shy away from your innermost desires and emotions that make us who we are. Who taught you to kill our lessers and hold them in return in such a favorable light? As if they had not enacted this upon themselves? Yet, we are the beasts?"

Ari's brows furrowed in contemplation as the red-eyed demon continued his walk towards him.

"So here you are-- lost and confused. Not knowing what to do or who to believe. Shall I tell you a secret? A secret of loss and remorse, regret and sadness." The demon dragged a finger down Ari's face before he cupped it in his cold hands. "You have someone you love dearly... a human since raised by them, I am sure. But the funny thing about love is that you come to believe it should be unconditional and unyielding, unbreakable and strong. But that is not so true, now is it?" The demon directed his question to Cyrus.

"You tried to spare him the heartache, but it is better to rip this disillusionment from him while he is so young."

"Yl-- " Cyrus tried to say, but he was cut off.

"Maybe I shall part with some truths and then you will have the willingness to tell me this name of yours. And what better truth to start with than with the one that will hurt the most."

Ari backed away from him and tried to move closer to Cyrus, but the demon brought him close, so close he could do nothing but stare into such hungry eyes that threatened to swallow him whole.

"You think you were abandoned. I am sure that is what he had told you as well as your... humans that took such great care of you. But, no, that is not the case. It is never the case. We, blood demons, are better than any human. We do not ever abandon our young. That is a truth. Shall I tell you another?"

Ari looked at Cyrus but the demon was quick to turn his head back towards him.

"The human who took you in..." the demon whispered in his ear. "is the one responsible for your abandonment. For your lack of a mother, and a true place to call home."

Ari shook his head which only made the demon smile.

"The one who showered you with the most love. The one who cared for you and made you feel comforted even by this loss. I am sure he was the most guilt-ridden." Ari felt his smile on his neck now. Ari did not believe a single word he was saying. He could not and he would not. Freir loved him dearly and would never do a thing like that. He would not. The more he thought on it, the more his eyes began to sting. "Because what human would ever want to love a thing like you, like us, hm?"

"Your words are false."

"Your words are false," the elder demon mocked. "It is quite the contrary. If it was not guilt that made him love you, it was responsibility. We cannot go long without intimacy while we are so young, so they needed someone to love you. A human knowing that must have known about us and what we are... the Khaeo."

The demon seemed amused by the expression showing clearly on Ari's face. Ari could not do much to hide it, though.

"By the look in your eyes, I guessed it right. Are they not a rotten bunch of liars and deceivers? They were the first to worship us, you know. To bow their heads and shower us with adoration. And look at them now. Biting the hands that had fed them for all that time."

Tears were welling in his eyes now, but the demon did not care.

"Do not take and twist my words, young one. He or she may really love you. You have a pretty look about you and a nice voice too, after all. Humans are shallow creatures. They adore the things that they can see and what they find to be beautiful."

"But, you know," the demon thumbed his lip. "Is it not wrong of you to love a person who did something so terrible to you and to your mother?" Ari looked at him with tears dripping down his face. "I mean, who am I to be your judge on who to love? But it is quite sickening to see you defend and shower such a person with so much love when your mother gave her own life to see you live. And your father. Oh, well... "

"Enough, do you want to make him hate you?" Cyrus barked.

"I do not care if he does or does not. He is free to feel however he wants. It is not as if I had been the one to stop him from feeling emotions that should be felt."

The burn of the demon's words seared into his flesh.

"Your father must have died sometime before that. A while before that. And it was probably slow and agonizing... feeling then pricks of needles and being drained of blood."

"Stop it."

"Tested and prodded on like some kind of beast just to be studied to find all of our weaknesses. Tell me what becomes of such a person when they are treated less than an animal when they were once revered as a god?"

"Stop it," Ari sobbed.

"Oh, your heart must feel so heavy and you must be feeling those stabbing aches at your heart for a man you have never even known. So how do you think I feel in this? Tell me, how do you think I feel to know someone I had loved and I had treasured once before final days looked and felt like that?" the demon yelled as tears streamed down his face. "You think we are unfeeling things, some beasts of the wild that should be hunted? We are not."

"We are not," the demon said again. "They are. And it is infuriating. It is enraging," the demon said through his tears. "How you are. How ignorant you are to these truths, so naive and so hopeful for those human beasts like your father! So let this illusion of yours fade away."

Ari did his best to put himself together again. He wiped his eyes and did not bother to meet with the pair boring into his very soul.

"Tell me your name now, little one."

"It is... Ari." What use was it in defying him now? Ari felt very small in his eyes. Truly, he did not know a thing. Everything was becoming clear to him now. Why the other demons despised him and the treatment he had received from both Auovin and Cyrus. Their hatred of humans ran deep and yet Ari insisted on bringing along Freir and Rein once before.

The demon drew his head up and closed his eyes. "It is a fitting name... for you," he mumbled as he strode back up to his chair.

His perspective on things had been biased... but Ari did not want to make any hasty judgments due to his jumbled emotions. He did not want to believe Freir would do such a thing and not say a thing to him about it for so long. Nolan he could believe. He was capable of anything, but not Freir. No, not him. It hurt his heart just at the very thought.

"I am Ylanan."

Ari's eyes widened.

"Ylana to the humans."

"That cannot be... "

Ylanan laughed. "It is a cruel joke, is it not?"

"Then Oliya... he is... "

"Oliya, I had not heard that name in centuries. He never liked that name all too much either. But it was a name he gave to the humans, yes, a long, long time ago."

"Is he dead?" Ari finished.

"Dead? No. Suffering? Maybe... "

"The gods... that the Khaeo worships and praise... one of them is you," Ari said with kneaded brows. "I do not understand."

"Their stories were once only spread through the word of mouth. Over time, their stories lost their true meanings. With fear and misunderstandings, we became these monsters and beasts of the night, I would like to assume. Humans fear what they do not understand. But humans are fickle things and ever changing. They worship an idol with the same name as I. No more. No less."

Ari swallowed and nodded his head. He did not want to ask anymore for fear of what Ylanan might say.

"I know you doubt my words, Ari... but there are two sides to every story... " Ylanan threw something into the water right by Cyrus' feet. The water splashed onto Ari's face and clothes, but he wiped the water off of his face with the back of his sleeve ready to leave. "And then there is the truth. Go on and find it. See for yourself whether my words are meant to deceive you or enlighten you. You haven't much time left now."

Ari took off down the tunnel as he heard Ylanan erupt into laughter. It was dark and deep, which sent chills down his spine. As Ari listened closely, it was also one filled with tears. It was obvious how heartbroken Ylanan was. He was strange and the way that he spoke caused goose bumps to appear on his skin. It did not help that he lived in a place such as this either. Ylanan frightened him and his words caused him so much pain. He wished to never see him ever again.

However, some bigger part of him knew he had answers to the questions he was afraid to ask. Cyrus seemed to know quite a bit as well, which only led Ari to wonder how much Auovin knew and which part he played in all of this.

Ari went through tunnel and tunnel remembering the way back up clearly. He did not wait for Cyrus or to see if he was behind him. But it as if he had a sixth sense. Somehow, he just knew he was near. He always was.

Ra was slumped against a stone pillar trying his best to stay awake. The candle was reaching its end as the wax from it became nothing but a small puddle hardening on Ra's pants. He woke the sleepy thing and he quickly roused with a start.

"I am sorry we took so long. Let us leave now."

"Your eyes... "

"I am fine."

Ari walked away, but Ra was quick to follow after him.

"You are upset," Ra said.

"I would be lying if I said I was not, but it was something I had wanted to know and now I know. I cannot be angry for something I had asked for."

Ari sniffed, not trying to meet Ra's eyes. Ra was quick to read a situation and another's feelings, Ari knew. He did not want him inquiring anymore than what he was already doing now. Ra studied his face, which made Ari cut his eyes away from him and continued towards the entrance.

"I know you are upset, but it will pass. Do not make any rash decisions due to emotions."

"And what decisions might those be?" Ari said, staring into his brown eyes.

"You will not truly know until you ask him yourself."

"So you had followed us down there," Ari mumbled. "That was very dangerous of you."

"Sai told me to look out for you and I will."

"He values you as well. I do not think he would have wanted you to do that."

"I suppose he would not have, but not everything is about him and satisfying his wants and his desires were the least of my concerns. You should not go to strange places with something like him."

"Something like him?" Ari bristled. "And what exactly is he?"

"Ari, I did not mean it that way."

"No, tell me. What is he exactly to you?"

Ra's eyes lowered for a moment before he looked back into his eyes. Words did not leave his lips, but Ari clearly knew the reason why.

"Cyrus had not done anything wrong, but decide to be with someone like Auovin. He is kind and thoughtful to a fault even." Ari sighed. "He lied to me because he did not want to be the one to hurt my feelings... even. So you should hold out on judgment until you truly get to know him. I was like you, once, thinking the worst of them because of what I had been told, but you have no excuse. You had been raised by one."

"It is not like I think the worst of them. There are good ones and there are bad ones just like there are with humans. I do not hold him in such a bad light because of what he is. I think this way because of all the secrets littered around him. Do you not find it odd that he knew where to find such an old one?"

Ari shook his head.

"I trust him."

"Is that because... you find him attractive?"

"No... he treated me badly, in the very beginning... He genuinely did not like me then and he made no attempt at hiding it." Ari nibbled at his lips in thought. "I think his intentions are geniune in this."

"Ari, think through this carefully."

"If I doubt everyone around me, I will have no one left. And I do not want that."

"Ari."

"I will ask him myself."

"As if he will tell you the truth," Ra said rolling his eyes.

Ari grabbed Ra's arm before he could get too far, causing Ra to turn and look at him.

"There is a war going on and it is not a matter of if the demons will win against the humans. It is rather which demon will. If you are going to be like this, it is best if you leave back from where you came from." Ra tugged his arm away and walked through the room filling with the light from the sun.

The sun shined through the broken windows and off the marred faces of fallen statues. When he walked outside of the temple, Ra was waiting for him. Sometimes, Ari did not understand him. He thought maybe it was something friends did.

"Forgive me for being so harsh. I know... you are at odds with what was said down there as well as what is happening now. I should not have acted that way towards you. I was thoughtless."

"Much like Auovin, you are hot and cold with me and I do not understand you most times. You kiss me, but we are friends. You are nice to me and then you are mean. You say such words to me and then you quickly apologize. Do you truly want to be friends with me or is it Sai you want to look pleasing for?"

There was silence.

"Were you nice only for me to distance myself from Sai?"

Ra sucked in his bottom lip which only made Ari push passed him. Ari could not stand being there for another second.

"You must understand how I felt," Ra quickly said as he chased after him. "Like how that one demon looked at Sai. You must know how I felt. But I do, truly, want to be friends with you."

Ari continued to walk back to Sai's home not minding the tag along that was accompanying him.

"Auovin does as he pleases just as Sai will do as he pleases. They do not care whose feelings gets hurt when they do. They are selfish things, so do not be so bothered by it. He holds no interest in me. He has no interest in you either, but he does love you dearly and you should not undermine that."

Are turned and looked at Ra. He took notice of his hair, first reminding him of Freir's if only it was a little less orange. It reminded him of fire and the color of skin was tanning, giving him a nice hue. The freckles speckling his cheeks gave way to his age and his build was like his own-- small in both height and body. He had a pretty smile and pretty lips and eyes too, Ari realized as he looked closely. He was pretty, but he did not bring on the same feelings Ari felt with people of his own kind. He did not want to kiss or be kissed by him, nor did he want to feel his hands on his body.

"What are you going to do once inside?" Ra mumbled.

"What Sai and Auovin have together, I do not care in this moment. I just want to be left alone with my thoughts is all."

Ra opened the door to the villa. As Ari walked inside, he saw Auovin's head slumped against the table. Ari looked at his shirt down to his pants and back up to his eyes as well as his hair. He could not help but look for bite marks or any marks that spoke of some form of intimacy, but there were none. Sai had the weight of his head balanced on one hand as he spared him a glance before looking behind him for Ra. He quickly rose from the table and went to Ra which made Ari's eyes lower.

"Why are you so wet and dirty? And your face... Where had you gone?" Ari heard Sai asking. Sai had his face cupped in his hands as he asked his questions, but Ra fell silent.

Although Sai made it seem like he wanted Ra away from him, that was not the case. To Ari, Sai was having a hard time himself with letting him go. It was much like Freir and his relationship. The thought of him made Ari's eyes sting instantly and his heart hurt.

Ari walked passed the table wanting to be in his room already. He felt Auovin's eyes on him as he did. Still, Auovin did not say a word to him, which unnerved him. How angry was he going to be with him, exactly? Ari did not like it and he could not stand it on top of everything that had happened.

As soon as he was inside his room, Ari stripped off his boots and drew the covers back on the bed. He bundled himself up tightly with the blanket. Ari was content with the silence and darkness that covered the room. However, everything from the past night came creeping back to him no matter how much he tried to push the thoughts away. He was becoming overwhelmed by Ylanan's words as well as Ra's. And after so much longing, Auovin seemed to become as distant as the time as when they first met. Ari turned his head and wiped his eyes with the sheets. Why was he treating him like this when he knew how he felt about him? It made no sense.