Cyrus' hair tickled Ari's nose, causing him to stir from his sleep. His chest pressed against Ari's. When Ari moved, his hand brushed up against such soft skin. Slowly, Ari rose his head up from near his neck and looked to see if Cyrus was still sleeping. A pair of green eyes stared back, which made Ari tuck his head right back into the nape of his neck.

"You drool."

Ari closed his eyes, feeling his own saliva rubbing onto his skin from his movements. He felt some at the side of his bottom lip. It made him grow terribly self-conscious and highly aware of everything that had happened last night.

Cyrus moved away from him before cupping his face in his hand. They were so warm along with his eyes. There was a bit amusement found in them, but Ari found something else in them all together that made his heart writhe and beat in excitement. Cyrus gave him a small kiss and wiped away the lingering drool.

"There is not a charming thing about you... "

Ari saw dried blood on his neck. He smelled and tasted the sweat on his skin mingling with his natural scent. Ari took a deep inhale before pressing his face back into his neck. Cyrus was a tetchy person whom he had grown accustomed to. His words speckled with salt hid his true words underneath.

"And... you smell."

Ari laughed into his skin and held him tighter. "What do I smell like?"

"... Sweat... sweat and strawberries... "

"And taste?"

"Taste?"

"What do I taste like?" Ari asked, loving the sound of his voice so near his ear.

"Morning, most likely now."

Ari did not know Cyrus could speak so many words in such a small amount of time. He was very reserved and kept speaking to a minimum. At least around him.

"...And Auovin... What does he smell like?"

Cyrus gently grabbed Ari by his sides and pulled him away from himself.

"Why do you ask?"

"I am curious... "

"Wine... " Cyrus answered.

"And taste?"

"The dark, bitter kind of wine that aged well with time."

"I never had wine," Ari said. "How does it taste?"

"Bitter, sour, and repugnant."

"Is that why you dislike it? His blood, I mean."

"Why so many questions?"

"Because I want to know things."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Cyrus' lips before it disappeared as quick as it came.

"Why not ask him yourself then?"

Ari took his hand through his hair. It needed to be brushed and combed. His fingers kept getting stuck between some hairs. Still, Cyrus was very pretty and the way he looked at Ari made him want to kiss him, so he could taste him. He would taste like mint and honey, Ari thought very sure of himself.

"Because I like your voice and the way you speak... how soft it is and close it is... " Ari murmured. "You should speak more and you should smile more. They are quite pretty... "

"You wake up with sweet words dripping from your mouth. I am not a fan of sweets and sugar, however."

Cyrus made a movement to rise, but Ari quickly pushed him back down with a kiss. Cyrus opened his mouth, inviting Ari to explore more. Ari moved onto Cyrus and tilted his head in a way to where he could press deeper inside.Before Ari could elicit that moan Ari wanted to hear come from him, Cyrus separated from him. Cyrus wet his lips and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"The same trick will not work on me twice, young one."

"It is Ari."

Cyrus cut his eyes back to him.

"My name... It is Ari. Tell me yours."

Ari kept his eyes locked onto Cyrus', waiting for an answer. After a couple seconds passed, Cyrus pushed Ari down onto the bed. He sank one knee in between Ari's legs and hovered over him with a smile splayed across his face. It made Ari's heart twist in his chest.

"I do not know whether you do this purposely or not... but you are tempting... yet again and I do not quite know why when you drool so much. It is not cute."

Ari opened his mouth to speak but he was overcome with a heat trailing up to his cheeks and ears.

"Still, I think your eyes are quite pretty, and the way you laugh... " Cyrus trailed a hand down his chest before moving away from him.

"It is Cyrus," Cyrus said when he rose from the bed. There was some sound coming from upstairs. Soon they heard footsteps going down the stairs and the back door slam shut.

"That demon up there is going off somewhere and I mean to follow, if you may wonder where I will be off to." As soon as he found his pants he put them on and left out the room, causing Ari to close his eyes and will his heart to stop beating as fast as it did. Any compliment from Cyrus seemed like an impossible thing coming from his lips.

Ari started looking for his clothes then well aware of his nakedness. He felt sticky, but a bath would have to wait until he was dressed and ready to go up the stairs. As soon as he found his pants, he put them on. His shirt was nearby, so he quickly put that on right after. Each article of clothing he put on reminded him of one short moment from last night. It made him sigh and shake his head. Cyrus' hands were as gentle as they always were and they made him feel good.

Ari did not quite understand what Cyrus meant by what he said. In truth, Ari did not mean for those things to happen. He just wanted another warm body close to his own. He wanted someone to soothe his heart and mind with thoughts of some other things like Freir had always done when he was younger. Ari did not expect that, but he welcomed it nonetheless. Cyrus did not seem to be willing to share anything with him at a time, not Auovin, his time, or his body, but that had changed. That very thought brought a smile to his face.

He left the room and headed for the stairs, hoping Sai would not be around. Slowly, Ari crept up the stairs and headed for the washroom to start on a bath. Just before he could enter inside, Ra came out with wet hair that looked as red as a fire. Water dripped down in his just before he could move the strands from away his face.

Ra eyed him before they fell down his neck to his clothes and then back up to meet his eyes again.

"So how was it?"

Ari continued to look at him.

"Do not play dumb with me. We are friends, after all. We tell each other such things."

"Do we now?"

"No one in the Khaeo really follows such rules any longer. The priests are the most disgusting out of the lot of us, so no need to feel shame."

"You are not... "

"Gods, no. Living with a gorgeous demon who does not like sex was enough to make me want to go find it elsewhere. So be at ease with me and tell me... how did you like it?"

Ari nibbled on his bottom lip for a bit before he broke out into a smile.

"I am sure there is more awaiting you, but I would be cautious. He may like you but the other one... "

"Auovin does not mean me any harm. He has done nothing but care for me."

"For what reasons?"

Ari's eyes narrowed.

"For what reasons has he cared for you? It is not as if he had fallen in love at the sight of you."

"Those reasons worry me as well. That is why I meant to ask him last night... but things took an unexpectant turn."

"Ari, as a person who has lived with an old one, I can assure you he will not be so inclined to speak of his feelings to you. They are quite guarded despite the physical things they can be."

"We are not one in the same, so you cannot say that. Auovin will tell me in time."

Ra laughed before bringing the towel in his hand over his head.

"He is an enigma, but I will come to understand him," Ari said. "I want to understand him. Under all the secrets and hidden things about him, there is pain there. So much so that I cannot ignore it. He has lived many lifetimes over. You nor I know do not know what he has gone through and what made him the way he is now."

"The fact still stands that he is the way he is now with no inclination of changing. He began this war, I am sure of it. Him and his other compatriots. Now Sai is involved in this mess he would like to call a revolution of sorts. It will lead to nothing but death."

"Revolution?"

"To set things right."

"What does that mean?"

"Before they were gods. Before there were humans on these lands."

Ari furrowed his brows.

"He means to separate us from your kind..." Ari mumbled. "I do not think that would be such a terrible thing."

"I do not know what he means to do. All we can do is speculate, but I know whatever he has in mind it will not be done as peaceably as you are imagining."

"Auovin is malicious. I cannot deny that, but what you tend to forget is that he kind as well. Why keep looking at the bad when there is good left in him still?"

"Because you still believe there is any good left in him still. Only you believe that. Only you. Do not believe you can change someone. Only they can change themselves."

Ra gave him a look before walking past him.

"No matter. I will follow you in whatever decision you choose. I swore to it."

Ari balled his hands into fists. He clenched down so hard Ari's nails pierced through his skin, causing a steady stream of blood to trickle down his hand. Sometimes, Ari could not figure whether Ra meant him undue harm or if he was trying to be helpful. He looked at Ra as he went down the hall and into Sai's chambers.

Ari looked at the bath before looking toward the door. He could not sense Auovin's nor Cyrus' presence anywhere in the villa. With Ra's words swimming through his mind, Ari could not help but worry where they were at and what they were doing.

"Tick, tock," Ylanan said as his voice rang through Ari's ears. He looked around for the body that belonged to that voice, but it was nowhere to be found. Why was he hearing his voice in his head? It disturbed Ari, but he did not bother to mention it to Cyrus thinking it would go away on its own.

"As I said, no one comes down here unless they want something of me. And no one leaves unless they give me something in return."

Instead of heading to the bath, Ari began checking each room for any signs of an intruder, but he met with empty rooms time and time again.

"What have you given me but a name?"

"That is what you asked for," Ari answered back.

"Did I ever once say that was all I wanted?"

Ari ran down the stairs and out the door. There stood a figure adorned in a cloak as black as night. It was daylight, but around them was so quiet Ari did not hear a single bird or person. It was as quiet as he imagined death to be.

Ylanan wiped the blood from his lips and smiled at him. His red eyes met with Ari's just as he lifted his head up. It smelled of Auovin's blood.

"Shall we take a trip together, you and I?"

Ari looked behind him as saw seeres piled on top of one another. He took a wary step backward, but Ylanan caught his wrist and brought him forward.

"Let me finish all of what I wanted to say that day and I will allow you to pay me in that time."

A seere screeched out in pain from the pile as it fell onto the ground, but another soon came to replace it. Before it could, Ari saw Auovin's face pushed onto the dirt.

Ari's eyes widened. He tried to yank his arm away from him, but Ylanan's strength greatly outmatched his own.

"So he thought to pay me with this. But no, I do not want that. What matter is blood when I can exist without it for decades? Although his blood is rather thick and viscid. But he should have learned from millenniums ago how I am."

Once Ari's nerves calmed down he began to think of the khaeo and the lessons he learned there. Ari kicked him before twisting out of Ylanan's grip by moving the hand of the wrist he had grabbed upward. Ari took his other hand and grabbed Ylanan's wrist as he bent it away from himself. As soon as he swung him to the other side, Ari ran over to the pile of seeres, but Ylanan yanked him back by his hair.

He muscled down the pain and put his hand on top of Ylanan's, so he would not be able to pull anymore. Soon Ari threw a punch to his lower arm and a kick to his groin, causing Ylanan to throw him on the ground.

Ari caught his footing in time before Ylanan could reach for him. He ran to Auovin and began pulling the seeres off of him. One lunged for him, but Ari quickly took a dagger out from his side and plunged it into its neck. Another one came at him before Ari could react in time. It bit his arm, giving Ari the opportunity to stab it through its skull. When the last one was off of him, Ari clearly noticed the large bite marks going across his neck. Blood was still oozing from it.

Auovin shoved Ari away from him as he tried to stand. Still, Ari pressed him back down not wanting him to try to fight Ylanan in the state that he was in. Ari was far more concerned with Auovin's life than his own in that moment.

"What can you do with no horns, Oliya? You are weak, pitiful thing without them. What human would call you a god now?" Ylanan spat on the ground. "Let the lessers feast on your blood."

Ylanan came towards them then causing Ari to hold his position in front of Auovin, but Ylanan pulled Ari up on his feet. Auovin grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards the ground until Ari fell back down.

"He is mine to deal with," Auovin said.

"Yours? Yours?" Ylanan laughed. "Kill the father and fuck the son is it now?"

"I did not kill him," Auovin breathed.

"You did. All of this is your fault. We all knew it. We all knew it, but you are still in denial. I am not going to let you bring another to their ruin."

Ari stared at Auovin with wide eyes. All around him Ari could sense demons approaching. He looked back at Auovin again this time, noticing how yellow his eyes grew.

"You will not find the truth with him, Ari," Ylanan said. "If you come with me, I will show you the truth of this world and enlighten you on what it once was and what it is now. I will not tell you what to do or make of this world. That alone is your choice. I will not take it from you."

"Then leave. Do not force me. I will come to you when I am ready. Until then, wait and send the demons elsewhere."

"I will give you three day time. More time than I am willing to spare." Ylanan's eyes lingered on Auovin before they met with his again. "Until next time."

Ari quickly went to assess Auovin's wounds once Ylanan turned to leave. There was deep gash going from his hip to his chest and smaller ones speckled across his stomach. Auovin still tried to rise despite the pain he must have felt. He took Ari's arm and pulled him close into a tight hug.

"Hurry and go before this city is swallowed by demons and demon hunters alike."

"I have three days... and in those three days... you must tell me all of the burdens weighing on your heart. You must tell me now why you have such a look on your face for a man who meant you harm."

Auovin turned his face away from him, but Ari moved toward where Auovin was facing.

"Tell me why there are tears in your eyes. Why you shy away from my eyes now."

The back of Ari's eyes stung.

"I want to know. I want to know these things... I want to know these things," Ari choked, "before I come to hate you."