It had been days since Kaval led them further into Dantic. Ari was not familiar with the terrain, so he relied heavily on Kaval's guidance. He did not like it. It worried Ari that Kaval may lead him astray or to some other thing that Ari held no interest in. All he wanted, all he searched for, desperately almost, was Auovin. His heart could rest easy if he could just see him. Ari pressed his hand on his heart as it tightened. What came next did not matter so much to him.

"Over here." Kaval grabbed Ari's hand to speed him along.

They been over rivers the color of blood and passed forests with long grotesque limbs gushing out the sticky sap Cyrus told him to stay clear of. There were creatures lurking through the darkness, but they never attacked. Ari thought it was because of Kaval and what he was. He silently thanked Kaval for his presence. Truly, he would have been too frightened by all of it to take any more steps further without someone around. There was nothing but wretched things to be found in this land.

When Kaval brought him up to the top of the hill Ari's eyes grew wide with amazement. Beautiful magenta, pink, and white flowers covered the vast land with a single cabin and a small lake lying amidst the beauty. There were no gates, no ruined temples, or remains of demons or humans. Just trees with white petals falling from its branches and a great snowy mountain out in the distance. Ari never saw such a place untouched by war or humans. If freedom could be expressed with an image, Ari thought that this would be it.

"In all of its ugliness, there is beauty to found yet," Kaval said as Ari turned his head to look at him.

"It is beautiful," Ari said with a loss of words.

"It is, is it not?"

Kaval started down the hill causing Ari to follow close behind.

"It is pink moss." Kaval leaned down and picked one. He pressed it close to his nose, inhaling the scent before passing it on to Ari. "Smell it."

Ari brought it to his nose and instantly fell in love with the scent. It was sweet and reminded him of both Cyrus' and Sai's natural smells. Too much time has passed by for Ari to draw up the smell of Auovin from memory. He never paid much attention to it, but now he wished he had.

"You are so in love. You cannot hide it to save your own life. Perhaps, being so young offers you some leniency. It is cute."

Ari looked up with flushed cheeks almost matching the flower he was holding.

"Why is that, I wonder."

"I do... love him... I do not know... if he feels the same... " Ari mumbled. It felt good to give words to the problem that was eating away at him for so long. He could not tell Sai or Rein, especially not Freir of this concern. Kaval seemed like the perfect person for it. There was no bias between them.

"Maybe he does not want to."

Ari's eyes widened. "It is not as if I wanted to either. He can be horrible and cruel. He is terribly selfish and manipulative as well. If anything he has a lot less redeeming traits than terrible ones. But I... cannot help what I feel... even though it is like that. Even though I know he will not change."

What did that make him? It did not make him any better than Auovin. Ari knew he was horrible, and only tried to look at the little good in him, ignoring the rest.

"You have nothing to offer him and you are too... human for any blood demon as old he to want. You are small, fragile. Your feelings are easily hurt and you look too much like Harun for him to want you. You are everything he does not want. Perhaps, everything he despises as well," Kaval said as he stared into his eyes.

Ari lowered his head and soon sunk into the bed of flowers as Kaval walked onward.

"Do you love him still?"

"... I do."

"Then what is there for me to answer?"

"Maybe why you know so much about the person when I have not even said their name?"

Kaval stopped and smiled widely.

"Yet you knew who I was speaking of... How?"

Kaval stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Coincidence."

Ari's eyes narrowed as he rose and approached Kaval. He was a creature of darkness. They were meant to lead one astray. Ari would not become beguiled by it. However, the words Kaval uttered rang true to his ears. There was a lot of things Auovin disliked about him. That was true. But like Freir, Rein did not like everything about him yet they were much in love.

Kaval only continued further ahead causing Ari to follow. Despite everything, Ari could not help but fall in love with his surroundings. With the sun setting, Ari hoped he could see a blanket of stars and gaze at them as he always had done. Ari only remembered gazing up at the stars with Freir when he was trying to teach him how to read the stars. Yet there was this feeling lodged deep inside of his chest that spoke differently.

"Do not!"

"Hmm..."

"Do not tell him about anything that I have said!" Ari breathed as he caught up to him.

"Why?"

"Why? Because it is... embarrassing."

"As in why is it that you are shouting?"

Ari's face turned crimson causing Kaval to laugh loudly.

"Listen, my little master, I am loyal to you and only to you. Never will I betray you." Kaval leaned closer towards Ari's face. "So do not worry about what words are spoken between us."

His gray eyes did not waiver from Ari's which made Ari uneasy. Soon Ari pushed him away and walked toward the lake instead of the cabin.

"Would you like my opinion?" Ari stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. "If you would, I will tell you." Kaval quickly closed in the distance and smirked.

"... I would like to hear it."

"Finally, you have a taste of what this life has to offer you, so why tether yourself to one person? To multiple people, even? You owe them nothing and that thing beating in your chest telling you these senseless thoughts is not worth listening to."

"That--"

"You are young."

"I know I am young. Why does that matter?"

"All they will do is use you."

Ari's heart dropped to his stomach at his words.

"Because they know they can get away with it... But now, you have me and they cannot do that anymore." Kaval tapped his nose and smiled this time. "I chose you for a reason. Do not disappoint me."

There was some sense of security found in his words, but Ari was still wary of him.

"What would you have me do then?" Ari asked as Kaval circled around him.

"Have or be had by them. You cannot say it is not what you want because I can practically smell it wafting off from you."

Ari spun around but Kaval was already on his other side.

"But after that, wish for no more. Go to the greats and ask them for power. Then do what you will."

"I do not want that."

"Yes, I know. You want childish things."

"They are terrible beings."

"Is that what you heard?"

"It is what I know. I had been where one had slumbered. In there, it reeked of death and malice. And there were shadows and many strange demons there waiting to kill me. I felt his hands wrap around my throat. I heard his voice beckoning me closer like a moth to a flame-- and I could not resist it. And why is everything that I want childish? My feelings are constantly seen as childish and--"

"Because they are," Kaval said matter-of-factly.

Ari bristled.

"Love is not a feeling you feel easily."

"I know this."

"And why would you want to? It is crippling, is it not? It can keep you away from doing the things you truly want to do or wanting things that others would not approve of." Kaval approached closer until he was hovering over him.

"So tell me, my master, what else do you want other than chasing after this demon who may crush your very soul into pieces?"

Ari kneaded his brows. He was not sure. Truly, he never even thought about it which breathed some truth to Kaval's words.

"I do not know."

"What do you want for yourself?"

"... I do not know."

"Shall we find out... together then, Little Master?"

Ari pushed his face away from his.

"Not so close," Ari grumbled.

"Up close, I can see every small gesture and expression of yours. I find them unbearably cute."

Ari narrowed his eyes and kept his hand firmly on Kaval's rib cage when Kaval tried to move closer.

"So much so I want to wrap you in my arms," Kaval finished.

"I do not like it."

"Even dogs are given more affection than me," Kaval mumbled. He slinked off a little ways away from Ari and began drawing small circles around in the dirt.

Ari could not gauge Kaval. He was one way for a moment and another way entirely in the next. Ari was at a loss for words that a great demon as he was pouting because Ari would not let him touch him so... intimately. It was odd. Ari only hugged a handful of people in his life. And affection... Ari did not really know how to show it in a way that was not romantic. He was raised without it for so long, after all. However, Ari could try as uncomfortable as it made him.

"... Kaval."

Kaval perked his head up almost immediately like a dog.

"Come here."

He knelt down near his feet. Ari was not use to such grandiose displays of allegiance towards himself.

"You have this way of making me feel uncomfortable... but... " Ari cautiously put a hand on his head and patted his head. "I will try to give you the affection that you are wanting from me... "

Kaval smiled and took Ari's hand from his head and kissed it softly.

"Now, now, do not give in so easily like that... or else you may spoil me and I may want more. Perhaps, I may really want to eat you."

Ari quickly took his hand back causing Kaval to laugh. Kaval liked to tease and taunt him, Ari noticed. Kaval knew what things to say or do to get the emotion he was looking for out of him and it annoyed him. Was he so readable and transparent?

"Go inside and wait for me in there," Ari barked and headed off toward the lake. He did not bother to look back. Somehow, Ari knew Kaval would listen to whatever he said no matter what.

The one true thing Ari liked about Kaval that he could not find with anyone else was certainty and maybe, with time, trust. His openness and playful manner lessened Ari's guard, time and time again. He found himself divulging information to Kaval that he would not even give to Freir.

Ari sat down by the river and looked up at the sky. Although he hated large bodies of water, something about water made Ari think of Cyrus. When he looked up at the sky his mind filled with thoughts Auovin which Ari had no idea why. They made no fond memories underneath them and the last time he was in a large body of water with Auovin he nearly drowned him. There were many things that Ari did not understand just yet. Ari did not really want to understand them either. He was scared to find out the answers they revealed.

As the night grew darker, it grew beautiful. There were fireflies surrounding the field of pink moss. The water sparkled under the light of the moon. Ari reached out his hand, wanting to touch the stars. He took his hand back after a moment and bit down onto his lip. Sounds of crickets and cicadas made it to his ears, filling the empty space with echoes of their songs. It only made him come to realize how lonely he was becoming. Was there such a thing as feeling lonely even when you were surrounded by people? Ari shook his head and frowned. Ari rather feel that than to feel forgotten or abandoned. He held himself tighter, wishing he was not left with his thoughts. He had nowhere to run as they continued dancing around in his head.

Ari's eyes lowered as arms wrapped around him loosely. Thinking it was Kaval, Ari grabbed his hands to throw them away from him, but he stopped the moment he felt them in his. Ari tried to turn to look at him, but Auovin kept his head pressed against Ari's neck. His hold tightened around Ari's waist as well, keeping Ari put. Ari wanted to turn and look at Auovin so badly. He missed him so much and--.

"The stars... they are quite beautiful." Hearing his voice sent shivers down Ari's body. It was deep as it always was and with his mouth pressed onto the skin of his neck, Ari could not help but become extremely aware of their closeness.

"They are the only ones that are older than us demons. They are the only ones who can tell our stories." Ari breathed deeply as Auovin turned his head to face him. "Shall I tell you mine?" Auovin murmured onto his lips.