Stage 04

He'd lost track of not simply just time, but space, and all link to his own reality as he'd laid here beside this pool, fingers tracing through strands of gold. The soft rise and fall of the form beside him was comforting as was the light breath that occasionally escaped in a contented sigh and tickled his chest. Cael's eyes wandered down, watching the sleeping blonde with a curious eye before running a finger from the man's hair and tracing the bone of his back. This seemed to stir the sniper for he shifted, brows pressing together as his large icy eyes opened to glare at his partner. It was a mixture of agitation, and unease for the action being performed caused the man to take in a sharp breath before spitting out with tinted cheeks, "You forget nothing do you?" The only answer he received was a contented chuckle from the drake beside him which forced Vincent's hand to snake down and grab at the fingers that had grown dangerously close to the line of his hips. Capturing the limb in his own he returned them to the dull light from beneath the woolen blanket they were curled under.

Cael sighed, golden eyes mildly disappointed as he leaned down to press his lips to his partner's forehead, "You owe me pillow talk, little one."

Vincent growled a note of disappointment, head falling to rest atop the bare chest to his left as it had been moments before. "You always ruin my happy moments with work. Not even your sense of duty has change it seems, my dear." For this though the man was secretly grateful, for had something changed in his absences within the redhead he wasn't sure he'd been able to forgive himself. Feeling his partner laugh the blonde sighed and lifted his freed hand to meticulously count the fireflies still circling this space. Time did not change here, for it was still the low light one would think came from a full moon and as silent as the night in the surrounding wood; yet in the pools depths the two suns had risen and reflected through a haze as if they were shown through filters to prevent their light from penetrating the vale. "You two noticed the tree only now, then?"

"I wondered over it for a time but something more pressing entered my mind as of late. At my birthday celebration to be precise."

Hearing the words Vincent glanced up, icy eyes trying to figure the emotion playing the ancient's face; his voice had taken on a familiar edge of worry, and the lines of his brows gave way the thoughts of deception that had no doubt been circling the man's mind. "Avyanna is gone, as we all saw her pass from existence the day she broke the moon and created the rings and extra atmosphere to shield this planet from the extra radiation. She took that woman with her ... sealed her somewhere far away not even on a plane one could reach from this place."

The silence that remained on the lips of his husband caused the sniper to continue, fingers increasing in tempo as they began to draw small lines from one firefly to the next. "I came to this place many years ago and wandered these woods until I found this grove and saw you lay me beneath that tree. I also witnessed the beating that sanctuary took from your rage and anguish after all had left and your children watched over you silently from afar."

At this, the drake seemed to tense and his free hands wrapped to clench around the blonde's form out of disgrace and selfishness. Cael swallowed harshly, trying to push both embarrassment and pain from the memory from his mind; he wished none had seen him in such a sate, and to find all three he treasured dearly had been watching such a display.

Vincent seemed to sense the mental battle and smiled softly, hand falling to trace a soft line across the redhead's torso. "None think any less of you, dear. I dare say Leon and I understood your plight more than our little princess." Leon had lost something he'd treasured twice in his life, and he had experienced having your beloved ripped from your hands several times thanks to his late wife and the many children they'd lost. "It hurt to see you in such a state ... much more than I'd anticipated when that man warned me not to look." Feeling the arms around him tighten yet again the blonde closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth in a content silence. "Seeing you in such a state, and another thing I learned shortly after the fact brought us to where we are now."

"Explain yourself." Cael spoke evenly, golden eyes slits of intrigue and exhaustion; even thinking of such a day as mentioned drained the life out of him that had been restored. Well, that and a mild fear growing in his belly at the mention of a certain man ... nothing good came out of anything that had to do with the likes of that God.

"You're familiar with the laws in our world; of the rule of three. Three times born, three times to learn the lesson before you are sent to judgement and placed where your soul remains for eternity. Each time you come through this forest and meet his eye before he either passes his judgement on you or ferries you on to the realm of the lady to be placed back into the cycle to try once more." Vincent smiled, eyes opening partially to watch the now steadied hands clinging to him dearly. He knew Cael was well informed of this rule, of this cycle of life, for he had been there when it was crafted and put into the workings of the universe. "I came to this pool with one more go around, Cael. This was surprising to me, for I thought I was on my last leg and it was end of the line for me. Then again, thinking back, I never lead a very smooth life ... I was never fond of learning things."

Ignoring the coy smile playing his lovers features Cael pressed him on, golden eyes narrowing ever more as the story continued to unfold, "Vincent." Naught but his name, spoken in a stern tongue was all that was needed to push the blonde forward with a laugh and caused the man in question to rise into a sit and look about the clearing.

"I've never been the type to know when to keep my nose out of things, and as such I thought up a little deal for Thanny. He was in a bit of a bind you see, jumping back and forth between being the omnipotent everything that his late sister had been ... and keeping up with his regular duties in this realm." Blue eyes narrowing out of amusement Vincent cocked his head to the side, watching the golden gaze grow slightly as his partner absorbed what he was saying. "So I made a deal with him. I would become what he once was and rule this place, carry out his duties, and he could return to the pools of the universe and take his place on his sister's throne. Balance would be restored in this part of time and space ... at a cost."

As the words spilled from the man's lips Cael sat up, eyes as large as dollar coins and filled with fury and fear. How dare that son of a b***h allow this to happen!? How dare that demented old God agree to such a thing!? No, he had to have tricked and weaved his way to this outcome, "What in the hell are you stating." His voice was pure venom encased by liquid fire as the old drake spoke, "How dare you damn yourself to such a fate as this!?"

"My terms, my love, were very important to me. Besides eternal life even in this limbo isn't all that bad you ... treachery, minding the dead and the damned, torture, and judging those that wander through my woods. My life wasn't much different than this really, and you of all people know that to be true. I just get a few perks and a bit of responsibility to entertain myself with this go around." Knowing far too well Cael's distaste for Thanatos, the ancient had never trusted him and always warned his sister that he would be the death of her. Even after the old God had lifted his hand to help in the war with that witch years ago ... Cael still harbored such hate for the man. Vincent reached out to touch the man's cheek softly, and this action alone seemed to still the rage building in his stomach, "I am here. I can touch you. I can watch my children grow. What curse is such a blessing as this, my dear?"

He was unable to respond, for he'd been presented with such a genuine response he knew not how to answer. Cael reached out to cup the blonde's cheeks, "But here ... in this foul place ..." His words fell off, mind a buzz with many things as he leaned forward to press his forehead against the slighter one, "Such a light as you shouldn't be cursed to an eternity in this hell. I would be more satisfied if you'd passed on and been reborn, even if I never was allowed to touch you again. Better such a fate than this eternity of solitude and damnation."

Vincent chuckled, "You have yet to hear my terms, my love." Lifting a finger he silenced the redhead and pressed the extremity against his lips as if forbidding him to speak another word. "I would remain myself as I had been in my previous life, all memories intact. I also, would be able to visit the planet for a 24 hour period once a year and to have a lone visitor in this place whenever I wished it so long as they could survive long enough to find my grove. I'm not well suited for solitude ... and things go bump in the night here far too often." Clearly he was enjoying himself, and the look of confusion and shock playing his lover's features. "My last request was that my last life be transferred, and given as a gift to a soul that I deemed worthy the day I took over this place and gained immortality."

"The tree." Cael spoke, his voice hollow and utterly in awe of the crafty being before him. No, he'd known far too well that his husband was like this ... no one else could have sat at his side; only one with this mental capacity could stand a moment in his presence. "Are you implying that ..." Yet again he was silenced, yet this time by a soft kiss that toyed on is weakness and left a burning in his lower lip from the gnashing teeth that had tugged it gently.

"Don't ruin my story." Smiling contently the blonde nodded, "My final wish, and the ultimate term that I would not change my stance upon was the happiness of my son." Vincent stood, grabbing at his long forgotten clothing as he continued and started to pull into them, "She would be reborn only once, for she'd reached the end of her journey and was at peace out in the cosmos. Or at least what one would think was peace ... one of the curses of this position, Cael, is you can hear the regrets that pass through the minds of all you've touched. They fade eventually but they were loud, clear, and broke my heart from the moment I entered this realm. She held regret for breaking him ..." Vincent finally looked over, eyes contaminated with guilt and shame, "A feeling I could understand all too well ..."

The drake shuddered at the weight of the words, and the look that penetrated him to his soul. That was part of his drive then ... such blame on his own being for what he'd seen in that pool. For what Vincent had watched him do that day when he'd been buried ... "Mo ghra ..." That stupid human blamed himself for such a thing. Cael stood, ignoring his clothing as he passed over and grabbed his companion without as much as a second thought; he pulled him into a kiss that was harsh and forceful in an attempt to push all such nonsense from his skull. Moments passed in silence before the ancient parted his mouth and pulled away, golden orbs pained, "Damsels shouldn't save Dragons."

Vincent responded to the words, laughing wholeheartedly as they brought up a distant memory, "Fathers save their sons." Glancing to the pool he watched it a moment before continuing, "Do not tell Leon, he's not capable of believing such a thing much less is she ready for it to be disclosed. Three years - in three years that tree will wither and all blossoms with fall from it to give him a sign. In three years that woman will be ready to meet him, and not a day before then. Understood?"

Threading his fingers through the blonde locks Cael had taken to watching the pool, "I shall not breathe a word to anyone."

Pleased Vincent shoved a pair of trousers into the redhead's grasp, smiling brightly, "Good. Now, get dressed for there is more I must discuss with you. He wishes to see you."

"Leo! You're going to catch cold sleeping outside, idiot!"

Why? Why is it so easy to hear a voice calling to me that I long to forget?

Forgetting it would be far simpler, far easier on my mind and my soul ... so why?

Why, even now, do I feel lonely if the breeze in this haven dies down?

Why do I yearn for the memories that tear at my heart like serrated blades dipped in poison?
Why can I not bring myself to sleep in a bed, let alone go near the boudoir where I placed your things within long ago?

Why, Sara?

"Why in the hell are you following me, even up here?!" His voice was harsh, filled with confused agitation at the black headed woman climbing over the rooftop and settling down into a sit beside him. Leon hissed, brown eyes daggers when she simply had shrugged in return and lifted her eyes up towards the stars; he didn't get this woman. The wind was crisp, that of a late fall despite it being in the usually hot month of August as it blew and caused the half demon to pull his coat a bit tighter. They'd only recently began their journey after he'd broken out of the LIFE facility and bumped into this woman while carrying out his mission. He'd been breaking in, bombing the place, and setting the orphans that had been collected for modification and testing held deep in the research center's bowels free. Inside, while running around a corner from a group of soldiers is when he'd bumped into this woman. She'd met his raised guns with bladed knuckles and harsh green eyes that rivaled even his own annoyed gaze in that damned place.

He hadn't noticed it but thinking over the mossy colored hues had caused his eyes to linger longer than usual. He'd found himself looking this strange thing beside him over as if she were the oddity and he the normal everyday occurrence. Sara was a lovely girl, built tall and athletic with porcelain skin; her hair looked as if it was soft and often the smell of honey fluttered from her like she were living a double life as a bee. He'd been forced to take her along when they'd ran into Astra, and Charlotte before arriving in that city ... and since then she'd refused to leave him alone. All they did was bicker when around one another but she still came back, even after storming off and stating she never wanted to see his face again.

"Don't you ever get lonely, Leo?" She'd spoken the words effortlessly, large eyes turning to bore into his soul completely unaffected by his watching eye.

The 28 year old had found himself staring at her in disbelief, a hint of disdain still tinting his brown eyes, "Why in the hell would I get lonely?" Lonely wasn't a word he thought about much nor felt something he had any right to complain about. He was a military project gone rogue whose sole purpose in life was ending the very woman that created him and gave him this curse. Ending the very woman who'd caused him to kill the most precious thing he'd experienced at that point in his life without as much as a thought. "Loneliness is a luxury that I'm not able to revel in. If I get close to people they die ... every f*****g time."

"A luxury?" He'd hit a nerve for the woman's voice shook with rage and her once gentle eyes had taken on a volatile edge. Sara glared at the man to her right, fist clenched as if she were restraining herself from socking him. "You call this thing that eats at your chest, that makes you regret being alive, a f*****g luxury?!" Without thinking, or caring, about the fact the man before her could rip her in half she'd reached out and grabbed his collar abruptly. "Cut your crap! You seem to think you're the only damn person in the world who has lost someone and it pisses me off! Since when was pain and regret and guilt a luxury you idiot?!"

He'd been shocked to inaction, simply allowing her to dole out her verbal punishment as if she were his mother. Leon swallowed hard, brows knitting in both frustration and regret; regret for the words he'd spoken as well as the nerve they'd touched in her heart. He had a bad habit of blurting things out carelessly, and had hurt many people ... including his adoptive Father. That was another reason why he didn't get close to others, especially women, least he freeze and lose all sense of himself. He had a bad habit of women giving him the creeps, and causing him to hallucinate thanks to a memory. It was annoying, all of the s**t. Leon had been ready to speak when he'd felt the sharp impact of a palm across his cheek; another action she'd taken that left him speechless and wide eyed.

Had this woman just slapped him?!

"That face right there, the one you just made, called you a hypocrite." Her grip had loosened, green eyes angry and appearing to fill with tears. Sara sighed, as if fed up with this idiot before her, and reached out to flick him across the nose sharply. "You can cut the lone wolf crap any time now, you know? It worries people more."

A hypocrite? How was he a hypocrite by thinking ... Leon swallowed again, brown eyes finding a sudden interest in the eaves of the roof beneath him. That's how, huh? Thinking how annoying it all was; thinking how much he hated having such reactions to people. "Pops worries himself over stupid s**t, and Cael worries over him. It's a cycle that's been playing out since he brought the damn lizard home."

"Vincent. Cael. Astra. Charlotte. Raid. ... and Me." The raven blurted out, finally allowing her grip to fall away from the man's collar as she lifted herself onto her feet. "Maybe we've only been together a few months ... but we are a family. A family, like it or not, worries about each other. Family watches out for each other." Green eyes narrowing she'd taken a breath before assuring she'd captured the brunette's full attention, "Don't you dare take my family from me. I can't lose such a thing again, you included ... so stop making me chase you out here. Stop alienating yourself so damn much when it's apparent on your face you can hardly stand it."

Ah. He'd been dreaming again, then?

The man in question rolled from his side and onto his back, brown eyes muddled from the memory that had played out in his subconscious. Leon sighed, regret from his words tainting his heart even now; he'd forgotten back then the massacre that woman had been in the middle of. She'd been so young and forced to watch her older brother murder everyone around her ... forced to be left alive only to tell the story. Only to hate him. The tearful green eyes popped into his view again, forcing the man to toss an arm over his own slits to block out the late afternoon sun; f**k he hated to see her cry, even in his dreams. "I never apologized for that night, did I Sara?"

There it was, a soft breeze that seemed to comfort him to his soul and pulled the brown eyes from their hiding.

"How many times did you follow me outside, begging me to stop running away from things?" Leon spoke in a whisper, swallowing hard as he took interest in the swaying branches above his head. "How many times have I regretted not listening? Regretted not letting that woman go so you wouldn't become a martyr?" He'd been so weak back then, so pathetic that all he could do was hold onto the past like a child. He clung to it so desperately that he failed to see the future begging him to step into it until he'd been presented with her bleeding to death in his arms. The thought brought tears to his guilt ridden eyes, forcing the man to toss his arm across them out of shame. What right did he have to mourn that woman? What right did he have to allow this heart within his chest to be broken? He was a plague upon the world, and yet he still held onto this love for one who'd been so pure ... so kind. "Hey, Sara ... I'm lonely without you here to follow me."

"F**k, when you make that face ... it breaks my heart. Just let me reach you already, you brute!"

The breeze brought with it the delicate smell of honey as the words popped into his mind and forced the 28 year old out of hiding. That's right ... he'd grown up a bit since then, hadn't he? Reaching upwards the demon grabbed a falling blossom and held onto it as if it were a shooting star; it was alright for him to admit such a thing, wasn't it? It hurt down to his bones, but what really terrified him ... that scared him for more than the haunting memory of her warmth slipping from his fingers. Forgetting it was ever there to begin with. Forgetting that he'd been given such a blessing as that annoying woman, which would sooner punch him than kiss him.

"Promise me you aren't crying? If you were crying and I couldn't reach you I'd lose what little mind I have left."

He'd watched the two suns fall ever more, causing a bright band of red to cover the horizon and part the fading light blue sky when he heard a familiar voice call out. Its tone caused Leon to sit up instantaneously, brown eyes wide as Kaiyo came rushing into view, "The hell happened?!" He leap to his feet when he'd seen the terror that filled her golden eyes and rushed towards her without as much as a second thought to the tree behind him. He'd been sending her and Oz out every so often, today being a week since they first ventured out looking for Zane together. As of yet they'd had no luck, and Cael had yet to return with any news either. This was the first sign of anything, and it caused his blood to run cold; he'd seen such a look of fright in her eyes only once before, and it had been the day Cael had taken her under his wing. The day she'd witnessed her Mother die at the hand of her Uncle: Aldrich.

Kaiyo stumbled forward, reaching out for her brother's waiting hands as she caught her breath. She was shaking, eyes darting here and there as if she were searching for a pursuer. Finally she seemed to grasp her reality and squeezed her brother's forearms in an attempt to solidify the fact she was here, in this grove and not where she'd been only thirty minutes before. "Leo ..." Her voice was empty, matching her hollow eyes, "Leo ... Zane. Zane was ..."

"Calm down and talk, damn it!" Leon spat out impatiently, worry apparent in his tightly drawn shoulders and clenched jaw. Something suddenly clicked as he looked about, searching for the blacksmith he'd sent out as his sister's escort. "Kaiyo. Where in the hell is Oz?"

The mention of the man's name seemed to cause the last thread that was holding her together to break, for tears spewed from her eyes and parted around her shaking words, "Leo, Zane was in the forest. We saw him out by the edge of town ... followed him ... and Zane." Shaking her head as if a cruel image had popped to mind her large eyes jerked upwards and captured her brother's. She'd broken into a cold sweat, the shaking fit intensifying, "He was butchering things. There was this alter and then ... Oz ... he saw us and Oz sent me to get you!" Her tears had become a downpour and the young woman, the usually dignified princess, was tugging at her brother like she had lost her favorite doll. "Leo ... Oz is back there and Zane ... Leon, she's back!"

He felt his world slip into slow motion, the words leaving the young woman's mouth fading from his consciousness as if they were a curse meant to deafen him. He felt the life drain from his face, and a sour pit of disgust and contempt rise in his stomach as if he'd eaten bad fruit. Leon's jaw set in a tight line and his usually thoughtful brown eyes burned naught but hatred; he knew it. Somewhere, somehow, in the cells of his very being he'd known such was amiss. "Show me. Now!" The brute's voice came out much harsher than he'd intended however he had little time or the patience to withhold the fury spilling from his being. Why had he ever let that boy do such a thing? Why had he ever let that boy or Astra set foot into the same room as that redheaded b***h? "Kaiyo! Now!" He'd yelled, yanking the young woman from her stupor and caused her to break into a run full throttle for the front door of the bar. Leon followed after her, not caring about the tables he'd knocked over in the process or the sound of shattering glass from a mug that had been tossed to the floor. "What type of alter was there?! What exactly was that brat doing?!"

He would be damned if he'd allow that demon back into these lands.

Kaiyo glanced back, taking them around a corner sharply and aiming them for the back streets of Jelena. "It looked like he'd been there a few times. Ritual offerings. When we found him he was speaking in a weird tongue and drinking blood ... and then ... she started laughing. Her voice was weak, but Leon ... I wouldn't misplace that eerie sound." She wouldn't forget that laughter even if she died and was reborn, for it was carved into her memory from when she was a child. It was a soulless sound filled with narcissism, and a hatred so tinted with blood lust one would have waking nightmares of it. Elaina. "Why is she alive?! I thought you killed her?!"

"I maimed her and the Goddess locked her away." Or so he'd thought. He had to admit he'd thought the scenario over one too many times but for such a ridiculous thing to be true ... "Before she was sealed, before I ripped her legs from her body ... Zane mentally linked with her. It was only for a brief moment but ..." Leon hissed, dodging around a set of cargo crates his sister had jumped over with a feline grace.

She seemed to have caught on to what he was saying for she'd looked back with horrified eyes, "You don't think a part of her remained? Is that why he's been ..." She dared not finish the thought for it was too horrifying. Kaiyo whimpered, biting her lower lip in frustration as the edge of the forest finally came into view, "Leon, you don't mean to say that she'd been feeding off of Zane ... she's been using him as a vessel over all this years?" That poor boy. Oh god, and Astra and the twins...

"It's the highest possibility right now. He heard echoes of her constantly, tormenting him and causing horrible mental images of his wife and children to pop into his mind. That's why he came to live with me here five years ago, they'd gotten so bad he wasn't able to keep a grip on what was reality or hallucination anymore." Leon hissed, the faint smell of blood hitting his nose like a foul perfume as they continued on. "If even 1% of that b***h remained in his mind she'd be able to get out." Finally the sound of an arrow, and the all too familiar hiss of a crossbow filled his ears and caused the brunette to skid to a stop in a cloud of dust. Osmond was fighting someone a few feet ahead, most likely in the clearing near the river. Brows setting into a hard line Leon glanced to his sister, "You gotten better with that Naginata?"

As if a response to his question the young woman whistled before a small flame formed in her right hand and grew, elongating until she took a deep breath and blew harshly. The flames danced before billowing out to reveal a pole arm nearly double her height and intricately crafted from steel and the wood of an old oak. It's blade was as wide as it's wielder's arms placed together and curved upwards into a sharp point; a gold filigree embellishment covered parts of the black blade before extending back onto the pole it was housed upon and surrounding a large, pure, ruby. "I've grown a lot since you last fought me five years ago."

"Good, because I can't afford to watch after you in this situation." Leon had smiled, a mild wave of worry forced from his being as another shot of an arrow filled his ears. "Alright, let's go save the town blacksmith. You can eat him if he'd died already, yeah?"

Kaiyo chuckled, charging forward as she slung the large spear over her shoulder and set her jaw into a thin line. The young woman who'd been near breaking minutes before had been replaced by the calm princess, her feral eyes calculated slits and movements lithe. A sound caught her attention and caused her to stop short, she spotted the black headed man she'd left behind and the sight before her caused her stomach to churn. Leon entered the clearing shortly after, body freezing when he noticed what had stalled his advancing sibling in an instant. "Zane! The f**k do you think you're doing?!"

The man in question turned his head nonchalantly, his usually fearful grey eyes voids that teemed off a blood lust the likes of the young man had never known. Zane was 33, or he should have been, but around five years ago he'd stopped aging and had been stuck in the body of a 28 year old ... much like the man that had taken him in. Leon was to turn 43 this year, yet was stuck as he was for all eternity. The black headed man sighed, a twisted smirk passing over his lips as if the action he was currently taking a mere game. He was an attractive man, hair cut short with messy bangs that framed his still boyish features; his skin was a light ivory and clung to his 5'9 body like canvas that had been stretched over a frame. He had once been a healthy weight, with toned muscles and now ... he looked as if he were withering away; the man who once prided himself in his work with explosives was now a shamble. Yet, even in such a state, a strength seemed to hug at his bones and urge him on in an almost marionette way. No, the eyes looking back at his mentor were not his own - nor was the finger constantly firing an arrow into the blacksmith.

Osmond was pinned to a tree, his right shoulder impaled with what looked to be a hunting knife; his own grey eyes were filled with venom, lips set in a line of frustration as he watched the handling of his crossbow. It had been taken from him, and used to fire off three rounds into his body to further entwine him with the trunk of the redwood. An arrow in his right knee, one in his left forearm, and one in the lower left part of his chest caused the blacksmith to wheeze. His lung had collapsed and he'd felt his world start to spin slowly from the mounting blood loss; in fact he'd been ready to curse this b*****d's name into oblivion for handing his weapon in such a crude way. The boy had been ready to fire off a last round, aimed straight for his head, when the two had invaded the clearing.

"Leon Dwyer ... never did I think the day would come that I would see you again." Zane's lips twisted into a cruel smile, "How's that little black headed pet?"

That voice. He'd not even allowed the boy in front of him to move before he'd launched himself forward and knocked not only the crossbow from his hands but the wind from his lungs. Leon glared, fingers tightening around the neck of the male he'd been addressing so freely before; this being here ... this was not Zane. "Far better than you will been when I get my hand around your real throat. Where have you been lurking the past few years?" He dared not hurt Zane, but if she had manifested this much already ... How was he going to avoid doing exactly that? S**t, what was he going to tell Astra?

Zane laughed, his voice strained from the pressure being placed upon is windpipe, "Is this any way to treat your Mother?" His hand wrenched upwards and gripped the brunette's arm like a vice, fingernails digging in as if they were the talons of the beast that stood a few feet away watching. "You should be thanking me for this."

Leon snorted, features growing more hostile by the moment; he leaned forward, lips nearly an inch away from his younger companion's lobe. "I'll say as I did when I yanked your spine from your hips, woman ..." His grip tightened and caused the boy in his hands to gag, "The only thing I can thank you for is the strength to torture you. To maim you. To violate you in ways you haven't even dreamed up in that long slumber you've been taking. Now, where have you been hiding?"

A crude laugh escaped, the boy's eyes narrowing in what looked to be excitement. "And you still deny you're my son? You've grown vile these past fifteen years."

"Leo!" Kaiyo called out, sensing her brother's change in demeanor and caused the free hand he'd lifted to pause. He'd been ready to thrust it through the chest before him and rip out the organ that gave the boy life. Someone else, deep in the body he'd pinned seemed to respond as well for a sharp whimper escaped. Zane's voice broke through, his eyes retaking their usual sheen for but a moment as a sob escaped and the words caused the man pinning him pain. "Leo, please ... you promised me you'd stop me. You promised if something happened you'd rip it out ... please." An image seemed to pop into his head for he whimpered again in agony.

"She won't hurt them. Astra and the kids will be fine." Leon seemed to know all too well the words ready to spew forth from the boy. He'd lowered his hand, shoulders tensed at the situation; he had promised ... but he'd promised Astra something as well. He'd promised her that he would save this idiot despite his pleas ... "F**k ..."

"My, my. You've grown soft, my pet."

There she was, back as if she'd let the boy inside peep through the veil in attempt to torture him. Leon hissed, eyes empty save for fury, "I'll find you. I'll gut you, and I'll send you to hell this time without a doubt." Without a second thought he released the male before him and took a step back, ready to move should Zane advance towards either of the others in the clearing. Instead the boy laughed before bowing curtly and turning on his heel to vanish into a black puff of smoke. Leon stared, bewildered at the sight - she'd regained that much power, then? S**t. Turning his attention back to Osmond he snapped towards his sister, "Come on kid. Move!"

Kai snapped from her daze, in the end she'd been utterly useless and banished the unused weapon from her grasp as if it pained her to see. Rushing over she allowed the black headed male to slump onto her shoulder, gripping his arm delicately as Leo wrenched the projectiles from his body. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry ..." Seeing the man wince when the knife was removed and he'd been forced to bear weight on his injured leg Kaiyo felt the tears from before boiling up. Oz seemed to ignore her, weary eyes looking over to his friendly bartender to speak with a curt tone of annoyance. "Pick my baby up out of the mud now."

Leon waved a hand, already grabbing for the delicate weapon before he grabbed his companion's arm and slung it over his shoulder. "Hand him over, we can move faster if I carry him." Kaiyo seemed to agree for she obliged and helped her brother secure the blacksmith on his back before breaking into a run full force beside him. "Oi, Oz ... I'd rather you not pass out on me." Leon spoke shortly as he knew all too well what happened when someone had lost this much blood. "He say anything?"

"Zane, no. That woman though ..." The 23 year old had broken into a mild coughing fit, his lung finally beginning to inconvenience him as the jostling from the man beneath him agitated it. "She is really f*****g obsessed with you, Dwyer." He spat the words out as if he were trying to laugh and amused by the mere thought before his attention shifted to the young woman clutching his crossbow to her chest protectively. She was crying again, jeez ... Osmond sighed, brows a mess of worry and pain as they continued on. "Hey, woman. You'll rust it with all that salt water."