Rise, hunter. . .rise. . .

  I was drifting in and out as voices filled my mind. Was I asleep? What day was it?

  "Desmond," a voice called. It sounded distant and feminine. "Desmond, wake up!"

  Mom?

  "Wake up," came the voice again, "your breakfast is getting cold!"

  I heard myself say "okay", though I wasn't sure if my mouth was even moving.

  "Wake up now, before he gets you!" the voice became louder. "Wake up, Wake UP. WAKE UP!"

  My eyes snapped open after the voice shifted from light-hearted to deep and guttural.

  "Wake up, mortal!" I followed the voice, adjusting my eyes in the strange place. I struggled to make out my surroundings until his form took over my entire field of view.

  I instinctively brought my right arm forward but something held it back. I tried again and it was when Aries laughed did I realize what was actually going on. Turning to my side, I discovered a red glowing ring of fire circling around my wrist. The same thing was done to my other arm as well as my legs, with flames dancing around my ankles. I knew I wasn't simply going to break out of there and take on Aries but I tried to wriggle my way out anyways. It didn't work.

  "What is it they've been calling you?" Aries spoke. His breath was hot and surprisingly fresh and odorless. I mean, what did I expect, especially with how the white in his chiseled teeth contrasted with his scarlet skin.

  "Desmond Turner," Aries taunted, "the mortal endowed with Sage's power." He regarded my form which waned greatly in comparison.

  "What are you going to do to me?" I mustered my courage, doing my best deep and serious voice that would have made James Earl Jones proud. . .or maybe I was just scared shitless.

  "Nothing compared to what will happen to. . .her," Aries stepped aside and there she was, bound in the same way as I was, only she was suspended over some kind of hole. Fumes appeared to be coming out of the hole with a sizzling effect.

  "D-Despyon," Valeria muttered, her voice small and shaky, "what's g-going on? W-Why does he keep calling you that name?"

  She was wincing from the stray fumes that would waft her way and her brown skin glistened with perspiration in the dim-lit environment. I didn't know what to tell her but I found myself feeling sorry for her, despite the fact she had set loose a couple of soldiers after me during our first meeting. The poor girl had no idea what was happening.

  "Let her go, Aries!" I ordered, "she has nothing to do with any of this."

  "On the contrary," Aries walked over to the hole and Valeria pressed her body against the wall, which I realized was actually rock. We were surrounded by it, as if in a cave, big enough to accommodate three Stonewall High school buses.

  "She's got everything to do with this," Aries peered into the hole and the fire in his eyes increased. "They all have everything to do with this."

  "What could us humans, powerless as they come," I asked, "ever done anything that could come close to pissing off a guy like you? You're a freaking—"

  "Zodiac used to rule!" Aries boomed, his smug expression disappearing from his face. "We used to roam the cosmos with pride until I realized the gods had merely turned us into laughing stocks. Our story has been convoluted into stupid legend across mortal worlds!"

  "Astrology is kind of a deal where I come from," I offered, gauging Aries. "Everybody knows about the Zodiac—"

  "As simple abstract legend!" Aries retorted. "It's time all worlds remembered who we really are."

  I frowned at him. "So that's it? That's why you betrayed your own kind and murdered Sage—"

  Aries let out a low chuckle as dangerous as the tips of his curved flaming horns. "Is that what she's been telling you?"

  I cut off what other obscenities I was about to say as Aries approached me.

  "I gathered you and that wretched watery little magic wielder have been spending a lot of time together."

  Watery? Ugh, even his insults sucked.

  "I would have thought Sage's intellect would have made you wiser and seen through all the lies with the vision," Aries went on, getting closer. "But that would be praising him too much. It's not like his own powers were of any help to him when he fell for Pisces's wit."

  "What are you talking about?" I had entirely lost my words and did not like the unsettling atmosphere Aries was casting all over the place.

  "Oh my," Aries chuckled again, "she really did a number on you. She told you what, that I killed Sage and doomed everyone to a life of fear? That Sage was trying to find a better world for us?" he had his eyes burning down towards my own. "Or that she promised you you'd return home after this was over? After she was done using you for her own gain?"

  "Shut up!" I shot, getting annoyed and disturbed by his words. "I know what you're trying to do and it won't work!"

  "What am I trying to do?" Aries shook his huge head, a mild expression on his face. "You think I'm lying to you? Trying to get under your skin? You'll be dead in a few seconds—what would be the point? Besides, that is Pisces's specialty."

  "You don't know what you're talking about!" I levelled, not letting Aries get the better of me. "Pisces is a good Zodiac and an even better human than most of us!"

  There, I said it. But Aries was not done.

  "I have to admit," Aries nodded, "your resilience is admirable, Desmond Turner, but it is misplaced. You've fallen into the same trap that got Sage killed."

  Aries patiently waited for my response but he could already tell I didn't have one. "She didn't tell you how it happened, did she?"

  I remained silent. This conversation was escalating to unprecedented heights and turns and, honestly, a small pang of curiosity was taking over me.

  "Now I'm starting to wish we'd met sooner, you and I," Aries joked, "I didn't kill Sage. He brought that all on himself. It was during the early days. Sage was exploring new worlds to satisfy his pathetic need for adventure and Pisces followed him once—here. The two were gone for a while and the rest of us grew suspicious. Of course I knew there would be trouble the moment Pisces had gone missing. I tracked her down here and was met with all kinds of insanity. I watched her rupture a hole right through Sage's core, killing him on the spot—"

  "Liar!" I blurted, "Pisces would never—"

  "Never what?" Aries snapped, "kill anyone? And what happened to Tauros and Pollux?"

  "She didn't kill Pollux!" I was getting angry and Aries grinned as he pushed my buttons further.

  "No. She let her suffer at the hands of your people!" Aries countered.

  "They both attacked us. We were. . .we were defending ourselves."

  "I suppose I would commend her for getting rid of Tauros," Aries said matter-of-factly, "that brute was getting on my nerves with his clinginess and an overbearing need to prove himself. It was absolute torture."

  "Well," I regained my momentum, "you're one to talk. You murdered Capricus and Karkinos in cold blood!"

  "Yes, I did," Aries didn't even try to deny it, "and you don't see me lying about it, do you? At least I'm honest. I don't like the Zodiac. They've only gotten worse over time, forgetting who they actually are and I was not about to let any of them foil my plan. It's why I didn't bother with Leo or Parthenos or even Skorpius and his scarred face. As long as they stayed out of my way, I had no problem with them but then Pisces came into the picture and began enforcing her delusions towards anyone who would listen."

  Aries flexed his arm and flames slithered down his fingers, dancing around his knuckles. "As fate would have it, she could only get so far. Turns out there are still those who are willing to follow the right path."

  The space next to Aries was disturbed, only to be replaced with an all-too-familiar figure. A figure in golden robes and golden hair.

  "Enough pressure has built up, master," the figure spoke, drifting in and out as it blended with the environment.

  "All in good time, Zygos," Aries said, still facing me. "My salvation is nigh."

  I wriggled against Aries's bounds and he looked at me interestedly, "you still don't believe me, do you? I have one last question for you. How is it you got to working with Pisces so quickly?"

  "She was hurt!"

  "And she told you I did that to her. She escaped shortly after Sage's death. She knew no one would take her back in. She was already an outsider. She manipulated you, boy. You were never chosen by Sage. She only led you to believe that. She wanted you to pity her, fall for her even and my, did it work!"

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  "But I have Sage's insignia!"

  "Insignias do not choose, especially mortals. You just happened to be at the right place at the right time," Aries laughed, "or the wrong time. Whatever you came across that gave you Sage's power, that is what Pisces was looking for. Not you, Desmond Turner. You're merely a flaw that erupted in her plan that she managed to work into her advantage."

  "No," I tried to fight back, "y-you're lying. Sage gave me these powers."

  "And yet you've never seen him with your eyes, have you?" Aries waited for me to respond. His patience was really getting on my nerves.

  "Whatever you've been seeing or hearing in your head," Aries pressed, "that is all Pisces. She is the master of manipulation. Even I would have fallen prey to her charms were it not for my thick head." Aries laughed and Zygos smiled cautiously.

  "Alright," Aries shook his head, "I'm giving you too much than your mortal brain can handle and thus I leave you this to ponder for the little time you have left—why would anyone grant you abilities without giving you a choice to decide whether you wanted to have them or not?"

  "But I did choose," my own words betrayed me as Aries's testaments sunk deeper into my mind. "I'm using Sage's powers."

  "No, no," Aries shook his head, feigning disappointment, "how do you still not see it? Zygos, help me out here."

  The golden colored Zodiac approached me, her hair flowing over her shoulders as her Omega-shaped insignia shone on her forehead.

  "It was as I told you during our first meeting," she started, "I tried to make you see the choice Pisces had made you turn a blind eye on. Where do your scales tip? Towards death or life? I tried to open your eyes to the truth but you let Pisces take over your mind and now, she has made the choice for you. She has tipped your scales towards death."

  At that point, I didn't know what to think anymore. If I wanted to believe Aries or not. It was all up to me. He had made it blatantly clear. There was no need for him to lie. His honesty spread further to his actions, doing whatever he willed himself to. Hell, he admitted his hate for the other Zodiac and, besides, I would be dead soon, so, it didn't matter anymore what I thought. But I had one last thing I needed to get off my chest.

  "Why kill humans? What did they ever do to you?"

  Zygos was about to say something but Aries raised a hand, taking over. "You're all the same. Quick to judge, quick to attack and weak in terms of both reason and strength. Perhaps a time will come when you find out why—when your soul wonders aimlessly in torment together with the rest of your kind."

  Well, I wanted to say he actually wasn't that far from the truth with his assessment of humankind but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

  "My father will find you and. . .and make you pay!" Valeria found her words, her face smothered with tears.

  "Case in point," Aries shook his head then walked over to the hole. "Do you know where we are, Desmond Turner?"

  "No. But I'm guessing this is what your mother's basement would look like!" I retorted. A terrible comeback. I didn't care. I was annoyed at how Aries kept calling out both of my names. I silently dared him to have a go at my middle name and suddenly, Zak's nicknames weren't looking that bad.

  "What?" Aries looked at me with a blank expression, apparently not getting it. His words had hit harder than I thought they would but even then, it did not mean his cause was not misguided. But what could I do about it?

  "We're at Abinor's Peak," Aries said, "towering over everything." He lowered a hand towards the hole and something stirred, touching the tips of his fingers. It stirred even more until I got a better look. It was lava, bubbling and dancing in Aries's presence. "A fire to take over all the souls of this world."

  I still had no idea what Aries's plan was but the way he and Zygos were staring at the lava, I had a harrowing picture of something sinister slowly brewing. . .or boiling.

  A loud sound resonated through the cave. It sounded like thunder and from one end of the cave, was an opening, revealing a mass of dark clouds. Red streaks of lightning flashed occasionally. Aries extended an arm towards the opening and it worked like a lightning rod, conducting the streaks from the clouds. He directed the current towards the cave's ceiling and the lightning shot out in form of bright red fireballs. They blasted through the ceiling, rupturing the rocks and creating a wide opening as light from the sky filled the cave. We were so up high, you could literally touch the clouds with your head if you hopped.

  "Behold," Zygos chimed, holding her hands together as if in prayer, "the master's salvation begins."

  Aries directed his arm towards Valeria and she broke into more tears, thunder drowning her cries.

  "What are you doing to her?"

  Zygos answered me, her face dreamy as if in a trance. "She'll be the first soul to feed Aries's eternal flame."

  I watched in horror as Valeria's eyes widened. She tried to scream but nothing came out of her mouth which remained open. Her head tilted upwards and I could literally see her soul rise up from her chest, slowly making its way towards her neck.

  "Please, stop!" my words fell on deaf ears. "You're killing her!"

  "That is the idea," was Aries's blank response as he forced Valeria's soul out of her.

  Aries directed his other hand towards the lava and what appeared to be white thin mystical strings materialized, meandering down into the chasm. It was as if his body was converting Valeria's soul into some kind of energy.

  Valeria's eyes blinked rapidly, she was quickly losing consciousness and soon, her very existence. I was losing any ounce of hope that Pisces had apparently filled my mind with but I knew Valeria didn't deserve this. Sure, she was a pain in the neck but she was still human.

  I wriggled in my bounds. I glanced at my right arm. Sage's insignia was still there and it felt odd looking at the intricate arrow tattoo, especially after finding out it had been put there by accident and that no cosmic entity was working within me. But I still had to try. Sage's spirit may not have been there but his power sure was.

  I forced my fingers into a fist, biting down on my teeth and trying hard to summon Sage's power.

  "Uh-uh," Zygos had her hand wrapped around my neck. "Your scales may tip towards death but your purpose has only become all the more glorious. You are among the first to feed Aries's eternal flame and kickstart his salvation. You should be honored."

  My witty comeback was ruined by the pressure exerted on my windpipe and this is what I ended up saying instead, "Yeah, mwell. . .buck your honor!"

  Valeria's soul was surfacing, clearly visible as a tiny glowing sphere, tipping out of her mouth. It would be over for her in seconds.

  I tried summoning Sage's power despite Zygos's grip on my neck. Nothing happened. Of all the times that power had come in handy, this was when it decided not to show up? But wait, it worked! Well. . .sort of. A wave of bright light had sprung out, washing all over the cave.

  Turns out it wasn't coming from me as Aries was thrown to the ground, his soul stealing mojo getting disrupted.

  "Get away from her!" Pisces's voice rented the air, becoming audible over the thunder. The only joy I had from that moment was when I caught Valeria gasping for breath on the ground. She was alive and Skorpius was on her side, helping her up.

  My own bounds had also been undone. Pisces walked over to me. She held out a hand to help me up. "Are you okay?"

  Looking at her as she stood before me suddenly made me feel terrible. How could she lie to me like that? I ignored her polite gesture and got to my feet by myself. I caught her surprised look at the corner of my eye but I didn't pay her any further attention. There were much bigger problems at hand.

  "He's going to wipe out everything with the volcano," I said as Parthenos and Leo maintained their eye on Zygos who had her back to the rocky wall.

  "Thought you were done for there for a second, lad," Zak said, flexing his battle axe. "Now let's deal with this piece of shit!"

  "Hey," Parthenos tossed over a blade in my direction and I caught it.

  "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Aries shook his head and got back on his feet.

  There was a thick swirling mass of black and I caught Skorpius grab Valeria. She gave me a look that normally would have been interpreted as "you're an asshole!" but at that moment, she seemed to be saying something like "be careful".

  Skorpius vanished with her into the shadows and reappeared a second later without her. "She's with her father."

  I felt my confidence return, knowing that at least some of the soldiers had been rescued from Aries's firebolt shower. And now it was him against us, again. It would stay that way this time.

  "You disappoint me, Desmond Turner," Aries had an honest look of dismay on his face. "Even after everything you now know, you still side with her. All of you side with her."

  "Enough of your games, Aries!" Parthenos warned and I caught a better look at her wings which glistened from the watery cloudy atmosphere, revealing their metallic design. They were actually blades aligned on each other in an intricate overlapping fashion.

  "You can talk all you want," Skorpius said, brandishing his hooked arm, "but this is as far as you go."

  "How the times have changed," Aries fixated on Skorpius, "even the mysterious and most elusive of us fell into the well of manipulation. And to think I expected better from you."

  "It seems Orion didn't give you enough details of what I. . ." Skorpius flexed his hook, "did to him."

  "Oh, he had quite a story to tell but an even better one to share right now with you, Skorpius," Aries added with a twisted grin.

  "Now?" Skorpius asked, the firmness in his tone derailing.

  "But we're not here to talk about that. She's the one you should really be concerned about," Aries gestured and everyone had their eyes on Pisces, everyone except me. . .and Skorpius for some reason.

  "Would you quit it with the yapping already!" Skorpius snapped.

  "You're not even trying to hide it," Aries laughed, "of course you've known this whole time. You were there, weren't you? You were there when it happened."

  "What is he talking about, Skorpius?" Leo asked.

  "Don't pay attention to him," Skorpius pressed, the firmness in his tone returning.

  "Skorpius?" Parthenos asked this time.

  Tension was filling the room. This was not working out as it was supposed to. Aries was getting some advantage over us but even I wanted it all out in the open. The truth.

  "Are you going to tell them?" Aries said to Skorpius then fixated his gaze on Pisces whom I then noticed had her eyes to the ground during the entire conversation. "Or should I?"

  The tension was becoming unbearable. I felt it and so did Pisces.

  "I killed him," she whispered the words but they had resonated in my ears as coming from a loudspeaker. "I killed Sage," she repeated even louder.

  "What?" both Parthenos and Leo blurted. Apart from Skorpius and Zygos, both of whom I gathered already knew about the incident. Zak did not have much to go on but was still a little put off by the revelation, all the same.

  Everything I'd been through with Pisces was shattering before me. The walls of trust came crumbling down in a heap of betrayal. I really hoped it had been some kind of scheme Aries was pulling but there it was, staring at me with those big blue eyes I had once found mesmerizing. But now, as Pisces looked at me, I could only wish this was an alternate reality or a dream. It was neither.

  "But I. . ." Pisces tried to say, her voice breaking. She looked so hurt I would have felt sorry for her had it not been for the anger swelling inside of me.

  "You tricked me," I said, letting her feel all of my anger. "After everything. . ."

  "Desmond, please. It's not—" Pisces turned to Aries who was grinning down at her. She inhaled and returned her attention to me. "It's true. It's all true. Sage didn't choose you. I—"

  "You manipulated me!" I snapped and my anger was fueling Sage's power, causing my arm to light up with lightning arcing all around it.

  "But it was only so I—"

  "What, get me to do everything for you?" my arm was sparking. The more Pisces spoke, the worse I felt. "You took my life away. My friends, my. . .mom. . ." The realization of knowing I was never going back home after all of this was starting to dawn on me in a very unpleasant way. It was like winning a game and finding out there was no prize in the end.

  "That's right," Aries's voice took over and it only made things worse. "tear at each other's throats."

  Without warning, I directed my arm towards him and blasted him with a bolt of lightning. It came out so terribly, with Parthenos's blade not really helping me channel Sage's power. Aries had ducked at the last minute and everyone was on him. As much as I detested Pisces, I couldn't let Aries slip through my fingers. I'd come too far. I was in desperate need for a win or anything at that point. It didn't matter anymore. Win or lose—what did I even have to lose now?—my story would end right there in the forsaken island that was Abinor.