Ari found it hard to open his eyes. He heard the chirps of the birds as they flew by stirring him awake, but his eyes felt so heavy. Everything felt heavy. His head rose a bit after he was able to conjure up some strength and pried open his eyes. A pair of molten amber ones stared back. They were pretty as stars, Ari thought before he shook his head and tried to blink away the image. As he tried to rise, Ari fumbled back onto him.

He rose again on shaky arms and just as his arms were about to give in Auovin steadied them until he was pressed back onto his chest. The same fog that came over him from all those times before was consuming him and the lack of strength he had frightened him. However, he was too tired to panic and his eyes were already closing.

"Just your body trying to keep you warm stole away what little energy you had left," Auovin mumbled as Ari breathed deeply. "You are quite pitiful... "

"Ari!" His ears rang from the sound of Freir's voice making him feel nauseous.

In the next minute, Ari felt himself being lifted and brought onto someone's back.

"What had you done to him?" Freir yelled.

"It is far too early in the morning for such noise," Auovin said.

Ari lifted his head looking around for Cyrus, but he was nowhere to be found which struck him as odd. He laid his head back onto Rein's back not wanting to think much more on it. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired.

"Demon!" Ari heard Freir shout again.

"No, the question should be what have you all done to him? He is weak because of you."

"To the temple, Freir. They will help him."

"The temple is—"

"—Freir! We have discussed this," Rein said. Ari felt him moving not long after.

Ari did not know how long he had closed his eyes. When he opened them, his head throbbed with an ache that spread down into his very toes. He squeezed his arm tight around Rein's throat causing Freir to cough.

"Rein, he is awake!" Freir shouted.

Ari looked closer and noticed short red-orange hair belonging to Freir. Since when had he gone onto his back? His eyebrows furrowed and his heart raced.

"Calm down, Ari. You will be fine," Freir soothed.

Ari felt a warm hand on his forehead not longer after causing him to sigh. He felt cold, but it was well into the summer. Something was very wrong with him.

"He is sweating badly, Rein." Freir tried to hide the panic in his voice but Ari heard him well enough.

"He will be fine."

"Look at him," Freir hissed, "he is paling and there is sweat covering the entirety of my back."

"It could be toxins or stress or—"

"—Rein you may not care for him, but I do and going to that temple—the barrier—"

"Would you rather have him die then? It was Nolan and your idea to take him with you on that hunt. I advised against it and look at him now. It is best if you listen to me then go against me in this."

Ari closed his eyes before reopening them again.

"I did not think we would be away for so long and that demon— that demon took much of his blood."

Ari wanted to call for Auovin but no words would come from his throat. Instead, he rose his head from Freir's back and looked around for him. Where was he? He could not have left. Ari tightened his grip as cold fear spread through him. He did not want to go with them and the temple. The temple... Auovin had to leave.

"Ari, do not squeeze so hard."

He coaxed his head to rise further and saw Auovin trailing slowly behind.

His lips parted but he hesitated. Saying his name would... they would know. Ari balled his hands into fists as he pressed his head back down and looked away from Rein. He could feel it. They were nearing the temple.

"Freir... " Ari mumbled close to his ear. "Do not... do... not... harm him."

"What?" Freir tried to turn his head but Ari was too tired to say more.

The demon was the devil incarnate, Ari knew that. However... however...

"He is mumbling nothings to me now, Rein," Freir stressed.

Ari heard something fall to the ground the moment he felt them go through the barrier.

"Is it working?" Freir asked.

"It is. Take Ari inside."

He heard the clinking armor that came with multiple pairs of footsteps. Ari lifted his head up seeing a couple Sanclii rushing passed them. When he woke again, he was in a bed. He touched his lips and brought back dried black residue causing his eyes to narrow.

Ari rose from the bed and put on a shirt laid out for him at the end of the bed. As soon as he went to open the door someone came in and pushed him back into the room.

"You stay in here," the man said.

"Where is Nolan?" Ari breathed.

"Nolan? He is not here."

Ari's lips parted. He was feeling an itch at this throat that would not go away when he wanted to speak. The man put a hand to Ari's chest and pushed him back.

"Then Freir and Rein—"

The door slammed shut in Ari's face causing him to close his eyes. He touched his bottom lip again with furrowed brows before knocking at the door.

"Why am I in here? Freir! Rein!"

He knocked and knocked and knocked but there was no answer. He moved away from the door and headed towards a window. As he looked through it, he saw nothing but trees and a river close by. His breath was coming out in slow pants. He inhaled deeply before exhaling.

They had put him on the third floor of the temple. It would be too far of a jump to make and there was very little bedding to make a rope out of. Ari hit the side of his head wanting to come up with a thought or something, but nothing ever came to mind. He was locked inside until someone decided to open the door.

"The outhouse," Ari said aloud.

Ari knocked at the door again.

"I have to relieve myself."

He heard the man sighing outside the door before opening it. A taller man stepped inside causing Ari to fumble backward. He looked less intimidating than the last one and his eyes held some form of humanity inside them. It was a shame he would have to extort that for his own means.

"Come this way." His armor clinked as he turned around and headed down the hall causing Ari to follow silently behind him.

Their temples, unlike any others, were sacred places to all those who believed in the Old Gods. You could not relieve yourself inside. Instead, you would have to go outside and do it. Ari was sure as the blackest hell, Freir never adhered to such rules. Any rules that inconvenienced him, matter of fact.

"Down here," the man barked but Ari went on and kicked his feet from under him.

Ari wrapped one of his arms tight around his throat until he was unconscious. Even in this situation, Ari would never think to kill one of his own. No matter the reason, it was a great sin.

He took off down the stairs until he was on the first floor. There were many candles lighting up the hall causing Ari to back away and head down to the bottom floor. He knew Rein and Freir would be where the light was and Auovin would be where darkness was.

Ari pressed himself against the wall as Sanclii passed him by with candles. As soon as they went by, Ari moved in the opposite direction.

It was dark and soundless with only a single light from a candle flickering and drops of water dripping from the ceiling. He looked left and right and saw nothing but storage space for food and other small things such as old armor and scrap metal. There were pictures and decorations far off in a corner causing Ari to walk towards it. There was a door behind it all causing Ari's eyebrows to furrow. He moved away some of the blankets and tried to open the door but it was locked.

Footsteps echoed off the walls causing Ari to hide in the corner. Soon the man came closer chewing on a piece of meat. Ari could hear it by the way he chewed and swallowed. He smelled it as well. There was a sound of keys jingling off to the man's side, Ari noticed right after.

"A pyil for me. A qurt for you. Oh, this be what you gave me," Ari heard the man sing causing him to purse his lips. "I gave my heart to you," the man continued, "but you gave a stone oh back to me. This be what you gave me."

Ari crept out the corner as the smell of mead filled his nose. Drinking alcohol was forbidden in the temple as well. Did he have no sense for the rules? As a Sanclius... Ari shook his head and continued to loom around him.

"A stupid wench or a fool am I?" the man said as he gulped the last of his drink down and sat near where the door was. As the Sanclius put the candle down, Ari could see much better. He pressed closer and saw six or seven keys on the man's side.

"Who goes there?" The man rose and looked around causing Ari to back away but it was too late.

The man caught his arm and threw him down on the ground. Ari pressed both his feet against each arm. As the man grabbed the bottom of his pants, Ari took the cuffs of his shirt in his hands.

Ari's foot went passed the Sanclius' bicep causing the man to come down closer.

"You—"

Ari stomped his left foot down onto the man's forearm until his hips were at the man's neck. He wrapped his right leg around the man's torso. As the man tried to wrestle out of his grip, Ari moved his hands to the left and slid his right heel down his back, locking him in place. Ari tightened his legs around his neck until the man could not breathe and unlocked them once he laid unconscious.

He took the keys from his side and tried each one until the door opened. It lead to more stairs and Ari did not hesitate for a moment to go down them.

"Auovin."

Ari looked around before taking the only candle lit and went down the hallway. To the left, he saw nothing but bars of steel each making up a separate cell.

"Auovin," Ari called out again.

He stopped as he heard movement coming from further down. As he approached it, Ari stopped and looked on with wide eyes. Auovin was slumped down as Inge wrapped something around his chest.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. That is what you are." As Inge tightened it, Auovin hissed out in pain.

"Auovin," Ari whispered but Inge turned his head and smiled.

"So you have come." Inge continued bandaging up his arm as blood continued to ooze out from it.

"What is he... Is he okay?" Ari was afraid to ask. He had never seen Auovin in such a state and never thought he ever live to see it happen.

"He will be," Inge said.

Ari balled his freehand into a fist and moved closer. This was what he had wanted. He wanted to be rid of the demon and now he was but why... Ari's eyebrows furrowed. Why was he feeling as if this was very wrong?

"They had taken quite a bit of his blood for you."

Ari looked at Inge.

"His blood?"

"Well, yes. Why else would he have his arms cut at his wrists? Blood pools faster there. You would not be alive right now if it was not for him."

Inge looked at him with narrowing eyes. "Did you not know? Do you not know what you are, still?" Inge scoffed.

Ari's eyes widened as he touched his lips again. He grabbed onto Inge's arm before he could move again. "He is like this because of me?"

"I said so, did I not?" Auovin breathed. " ...That soon you would want my blood." Auovin said as he opened his eyes and stared at him.

Inge looked away from him and up at the ceiling.

"We must leave now," Inge said. He was quick to finish his bandaging and get Auovin up onto his feet. "Hurry, no time for questions. We must leave. They will come."

"Who?" Ari asked but Inge pushed him out of the way and started down the hallway.

"They come now because he is weak."

"Who?" Ari asked again.

"Demons."