ARIES—my bunk mate in hell!

  The skies rumbled as thunder shook, sending vibrations through the cave walls and along the ground. I would have marveled at literally being at the highest point of a mountain had it not been for what was about to ensue. Mt. Atalasia was about to become a hotbed for a metaphysical clash. I could only hope for the worst as both prayer and hope had become obsolete at that point.

  Parthenos, already airborne, flapped her metal wings and dove towards Aries. She descended on him with a blade in each hand. Aries brought his arms together, deflecting the strike. He heaved back Parthenos and she crashed with her back to the wall. Leo zoomed in on Aries, bringing his tail around but even his agility was nothing compared to Aries's speed. Leo's tail wound around Aries's arm. Aries flung him by his tail. Leo flailed and Skorpius came in for the attack, ducking in time to avoid the collision. He lashed out with his right arm in a literal hook. Aries blocked. Skorpius whacked at Aries's chest but only ended up with his arm being knocked away. He brought it back, finding an opening and his hooked blade connected with Aries's jaw.

  Aries reared, regathering himself and was ready to counterattack Skorpius's jab by whacking him across the cave. Skorpius hardly touched the ground before Zak and I closed in on him, flanking him. I was bringing around the sleek blade Parthenos had gifted me while Zak prepared to hurl his axe when Aries let out a fiery shock wave. I expected to land on the ground hard but my fall was cushioned and I looked up to catch Pisces contain Aries's wave of fire with an invisible force field separating us.

  Pisces forced Aries back, using her power to restrain the infernal Zodiac. All our attention was centered on him so much that no one bothered with Zygos whom I caught at the corner of my eye slipping quietly out of the cave.

  Aries's fire had been contained. Pisces was shoving down as much power on him as she could muster but even then, Aries appeared to be at his prime. He was barely struggling and would soon break out of Pisces's mystical hold as streaks of fire flashed in front of him, apparently slicing through the force field.

  Eventually, the force field ruptured and Aries burst forth. He was about to go ablaze but Skorpius had anticipated this. He materialized behind Aries, popping out of the shadows and quickly bringing down his hook. Aries thrust his fiery arm, reaching out to catch Skorpius and flipping him over. Skorpius slammed into Parthenos. Leo rolled out of the way and joined Zak and me in the next attack.

  We flanked again while Leo shot through the middle. Aries was tapping into his speed but went down on one knee. He snarled defiantly at Pisces.

  "I've dampened his speed!" Pisces called, hovering over Aries, her feet an inch above the ground.

  Together, Zak and I struck Aries on either side. He almost went down on his other knee and Leo was quick to ensure that by repeatedly whacking him with his spiked tail then ramming into him, using his strength to send Aries flying over the chasm where lava was still bubbling hot.

  Parthenos and Skorpius got back up and joined Leo, Zak and me as we approached Pisces who stood closest to Aries. The cave had gotten considerably hot by then and I could not tell whether it was Aries's aura or the lava, or both. I resisted the urge to wipe sweat from my forehead. We slowly approached the fallen Aries, the chasm being the only thing separating us from him.

  "That worked better than I thought it would," Leo scoffed, flexing his tail. Its spiked end appeared to be chipped off.

  "We can't let you do this," Parthenos conjured a fresh pair of even longer blades, her wings spread out behind her.

  Laughter echoed throughout the cave. Aries stirred. His form drifted in and out of view from the steam billowing out of the lava-filled chasm. I saw his arm move towards it.

  "It's amusing how you think that," Aries's voice matched his laughter. He was getting up. Pisces hurled an energy blast towards him but he deflected it with a wave of his arm. The blast struck against one part of the cave wall.

  Aries was on his feet, standing over the chasm and his frame was accentuated by his shadow, the curve of his horns inching towards the mountain's peak.

  "I planned on harvesting the souls of this world and feeding them into the eternal flame," his voice was low and deep, matching the mysterious swaying of the lava steam. "But why go through all that trouble. . .when I can bring the flame to them. . ." His eyes glowed red, brighter than the lava itself.

  I had a harrowing image of Abinor being destroyed by a super powered volcano and, come to think of it, I had actually seen this destruction through Sage's vision. No, it couldn't be. What had the prophecy said? . . .And to eternal peace shall Abinor thrive. Yeah, that's right. The prophecy was still there, though, with everything that was unfolding, I couldn't help but wonder whether it had all been fake and made up, like all the stories Pisces had filled my head with. It clearly wasn't the time to dwell on that. Aries was about to turn Mt. Atalasia into Mt. Vesuvius.

  Aries brought up his arm, the one he had previously thrust into the chasm. Lava was dripping down from it as he folded his fingers into a fist. This caused the lava inside the chasm to react by bubbling uncontrollably with thick red hot liquid drops shooting out. The cave was trembling and debris was suddenly falling.

  The trembling disrupted Pisces's speed-dampening mojo on Aries as the effect wore out, evidenced by flames gradually materializing around his legs. I was first to notice this and charged at him with Parthenos's sword. I brought the blade down on his feet but a little too late. Aries had caught my blade mid-swing. I looked up at him, my expression contrasting with the dawning grin on his face, heralding what was to come. Parthenos's blade melted in Aries's grip like butter until it had been reduced by half.

  I could hear the others rushing towards me. I knew if Aries burned right through that blade, I would be done for. I glanced down at my arm. Sage's insignia was sparkling. I had lost my channeling ability but that didn't mean I couldn't use Sage's power, however limited it had become.

  I forced lightning to flow into my now half sword, in time to meet Aries's trail of fire. The two elements fought at each other and Aries's fire eventually overpowered my lightning, resulting in an outburst of energy and I was down on the ground.

  Judging from how everyone around me was already stirring in my blurred vision, I could tell I had taken a lot of the impact. Pain sharply shot up my right arm. I looked at it and my palm was charred and smoking, with several bleeding cuts.

  The cave was trembling again. Pisces was losing her control over the chasm which she tried to contain from erupting. I looked around me. My head felt weird. I shook, trying to reacquire my composure. The outburst had dealt considerable damage. A huge rock held down Parthenos's left wing and Leo was working towards getting it off of her.

  Something flashed past me. I looked up to catch Skorpius dashing towards Aries. He vanished in a black mass, attempting a sneak attack, only for Aries to perceive his move. Skorpius reappeared behind Aries, wrapping his arms around his neck. He heaved both of them back into the mass and it had almost worked, the two of them being engulfed into the shadows. A second later, however, Aries's fiery arm cut through the air like a phantom. His whole form reemerged, this time him being the one having a grip on Skorpius's neck.

  "How do you kill a shadow?" Aries's arm ignited with brighter flames as he lifted Skorpius off the ground and the black mass dissolved behind him. "You shine a light on it."

  I think I was experiencing a concussion and had to fight the dreadful feeling of passing out. Something else flashed past me. Zak rushed to Skorpius's aid. He struck with his foot but Aries simply swatted him away and he sailed past Parthenos and Leo, nearly falling out of the mouth of the cave.

  Skorpius took this as an opportunity to try and break out of Aries's grip. Strange things appeared to be coming out of him. They looked like. . .like insects? No. Not really—not the "true" insects, at least. They crawled out of him; spiders and scorpions, making their way towards Aries. They all burned the moment they touched him. Skorpius lashed out with his hook. Aries caught it.

  "You've hidden in the shadows too long," Aries forced Skorpius's hooked arm against him, directing it towards his face. "It's time you returned to the light."

  If you think seeing scorpions literally come out of someone was disturbing, wait till you find out what happened next. I watched Aries use Skorpius's hook to pry open the cast on his hooded face. It fell to the ground and I finally saw what Skorpius looked underneath. It was not pretty.

  "Orion did a number on you, didn't he?" Aries taunted and I was more afraid of the look Skorpius was giving him, the way his yellow eyes glowed and. . .that face.

  "I'll be sure to give him your regards," Aries forced Skorpius's hook towards his chest and its tip cut through his armor, slowly making its way into his core.

  I shook my head some more. I had to get up. Leo and Parthenos beat me to the punch, literally—man, I've been saying literally so much. Oh, there I go again. My head was so not in it.

  Leo collided with Skorpius after Aries tossed him and turned to deflect Parthenos's blades. He broke them in his hands. Parthenos conjured a new set and drove the blades into either side of Aries's torso. Aries groaned and melted the blades out of him. He headbutted her. Parthenos reared, only to make a comeback by swinging her right wing and slashed Aries across the face, barely scratching him. Aries yanked at her other wing, the injured one, and twisted it.

  That was the first time I ever heard Parthenos scream, for all the time I'd come to know her. Her entire left wing was melted off and clattered to the ground as strewn pieces of white metal, losing their cosmic essence as they turned from white to black then to nothing.

  The cave had stopped shaking. This caught Aries's attention and he blasted Parthenos with a bolt of fire. She hit one side of the wall before falling in a heap next to a pile of rocks. Aries turned towards the chasm where Pisces was holding on, containing the volcano.

  Aries advanced and Pisces directed debris towards him but he either deflected them or burned his way through. He caught up to her. He grabbed her by the neck and I was surprised to notice Pisces was still fighting to keep the volcano from erupting. Her sapphire form contrasted greatly with Aries's scarlet appearance as he forced her towards the chasm.

  My head was working again, or maybe it was the sudden realization of what Aries was about to do that had me snapping back to my senses. Everyone else was incapacitated. Pisces struggled in Aries's grip and her powers waned with the cave's trembling returning. Despite how I felt towards Pisces, suffering at the hands of Aries was not something I'd ever wish upon my worst enemy.

  Aries edged Pisces closer to the chasm. The blue in her skin was turning white. The heat was drying her of both her power and essence.

  "Your feeble tricks won't save you this time, little one," Aries said, "I gave you mercy once but I now see as clear as the brightest day in all of Astra, what everyone does when given a second chance. You and the mortals are not so different—it is only fitting you meet the same end as they will."

  That was it. I couldn't afford to waste a second longer. I summoned my strength and staggered towards Aries. I hit him on the side but all I achieved was nearly breaking my knuckles. Aries dropped Pisces next to the chasm and I heard her gasp for air.

  "Why don't you stay down like the rest?" Aries mocked, turning his full attention towards me. I could barely look at him now. The heat was becoming unbearable as sweat dropped heavily over my eyes. "Perhaps I'll make your death less painful."

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  Weary and having run out of options, I responded by clenching my fists. Blood dripped down my fingers and silently hit the ground. Had I not felt so exhausted, I probably would've uttered something witty like "I can do this all day" but any whimsical pop culture references and comebacks I had left had disappeared from my mind and out of the cave just as fast as Zygos.

  "You continue to disappoint me, Desmond Turner," Aries wielded a sword made entirely out of fire, flexing it in his grip. "Sage is rolling in his grave with the stars upon seeing what he's become."

  Aries brought the sword down and I planted my feet to the ground, stupid enough to think I could take the hit—but what else was there left to do? Run and hide? I'd done enough of that ever since I set foot on Abinor.

  The sword came down fast, cutting through the air in a fiery flash. I didn't flinch. I was ready for it. I was—

  A low gasp emanated, followed by a hissing sound; a sound made when something burning touches a wet substance. I was no longer standing before Aries. I was on the ground on my knee, confused by what had happened. All that cleared the moment I looked up to find Aries's sword not burning through me but instead its flaming tip sticking out of Pisces's chest.

  My heart, similar to the rest of my body, went limp. My knees buckled and I had to support myself from falling entirely. I wanted to say something. Anything. Anything that would make Aries stop whatever he'd done but it was too late.

  One final look from Pisces and I knew it was over. Her eyes were as I'd first seen them when we'd first met back at a different cave and a much lower altitude. She had needed my help then and I'd offered it as best as I could. Now, as she looked at me, I was the one silently asking her for help. Not for me but for her.

  Why. . .why did you do that? I asked, hoping she would hear the words in my mind. She did not. Her eyes were already failing her. The blue in them was waning as fast as the rest of her ethereal sapphire aura.

  She gave me one last look, and, with her mouth, she whispered, "I am. . .sorry. . ."

  I watched, distraught, as Pisces's body dissolved, turning into star dust until all that was left was the flaming sword. I felt as empty as Pisces's presence at that point and I fell entirely onto both of my knees.

  "It ends here, Desmond Turner," Aries regarded me with his sword and was as eager to drive it through me twice more than he'd done it to Pisces. "You've had quite a run as a mortal. Perhaps your soul might survive the final harvest—"

  He groaned. Something had flown across the air. I looked up and a battle axe fell from his head, revealing a considerable chip at one of his horns.

  "Has anybody told you, you talk too much?" Zak flexed his neck muscles, clenching his fists. A cry followed and he was dashing towards the fiery Zodiac, bare knuckled and with more courage than I'd ever shown.

  Either Aries had been distracted by the hit from the axe or he just let Zak have a go at him for the fun of it, I couldn't tell. Zak delivered a right hook, followed by an upper cut, causing Aries to take a few steps back. He was bringing around a third strike when Aries decided to end the charade by catching his arm and then throwing him.

  Airborne, Zak was suspended as Aries extended a hand towards him, causing him to open his mouth against his will. His head tilted backwards and his pupils were rolling up his head. No. It was happening again—Capricus had almost done the same to me and so had Aries to Valeria. In both cases, none had succeeded, but this time. . .

  Zak put up a struggle worthy of his strength but he never stood a chance. His whole body went limp before his soul was sucked out of him.

  "ZAK! NO!" I cried out, having lost the will to barely move. "NO!"

  I watched his soul, a tiny white glowing sphere no bigger than a marble, drift towards Aries's arm. Zak's body hit the floor with a lifeless thump. His soul coursed through Aries's body and flowed out of his other arm that was directed towards the chasm, replicating what he'd been about to do to the Chieftain's daughter.

  "A soul for my salvation," Aries uttered as Zak's soul vanished into the lava-filled chasm.

  The cave shook violently. The volcano was seconds away from erupting with nothing to hold it back. Rocks fell everywhere and thunder intensified. The ground was splitting with huge cracks meandering from the chasm.

  Aries marveled at the destruction unfolding and rocks did not appear to hit him. He towered over the chasm, shifting his attention away from me and looking up through the opening above, Abinor's Peak. His entire body was covered in flames. They swirled around him, dancing down towards the lava.

  I crawled over to Zak. I didn't bother trying to wake him up. I knew he would never wake up. My face was wet, either from sweat or tears, or both. I felt a hand on my shoulder and Skorpius spoke to me. "We have to get out of here."

  "No," I muttered as Skorpius summoned the shadows. "I'm not leaving him here!"

  Skorpius wanted to argue, probably try to talk me out of it but Parthenos had staggered over and propped up Zak's body. Leo took him from her and carried him into the shadows. Skorpius pulled me up and I had to look back one last time but I knew I wouldn't see her. She was gone.

  We all vanished into the shadows before the cave fell apart.

  We reappeared somewhere away from Mt. Atalasia, and, from the few scattered trees on one side while a vast plain section lay on the other, I guessed we were at the outskirts of the Hunting Grounds. The mountain was less visible but the fiery spectacle at its peak and the swirling clouds with lightning flashing through them could be seen from miles away. Soon, the whole of Abinor would be in ashes.

  Everyone else was quiet around me. I could feel their pity towards me and I hated it. I hated myself. I hated myself for letting Aries kill Pisces and Zak right in front of my eyes. I couldn't stand it. If anyone was to have died in that wretched cave, it should've been me.

  Leo tried approaching me but Parthenos called him off. She looked weird with only one wing and a deep cut ran across her forehead below her insignia.

  Skorpius was the only still composed. I never could tell with his cast on but even now that he didn't have it, his face, other than the jarring scar running across his left cheek over his mouth and to his chin, was as mysterious as his shadow. His hood was off, revealing the most human-like appearance. One that only he and Pisces had, compared to all the other Zodiac. He even had short dark hair that was extremely tapered and swept to one side, ending in a curl similar to Zak's, with sharp golden intricate lines cutting along either of his temples before joining at his forehead to form the hooked "M" symbol, similar to the one on his chest.

  He silently stood looking ahead at the erupting volcano, his black and yellow garments swaying in the wet windy air.

  I approached Zak's body and knelt next to him. He was cold. His face was calm, his eyes shut and his lips slightly twisted as if he'd been smiling at the face of death. I placed a hand over his breast plate, particularly over the three red stripes that had come from the blood of the Amarok he slayed back when he'd been my age. I wanted to cry but my eyes were dry. I shifted my eyes from his body to my knees. The silence made me conscious of myself and something lit up inside me, however dimly but it was still something. I directed my hand to my chest and there it was.

  I fished it out, holding it in my hand as its crystalline surface glinted before me. But I wasn't marveling at its make, rather than what was inside it. "You'll know when to use it. . ." her words resonated across my mind as I uncorked the vial.

  I looked down at Zak's body. Could this be it? Could this be what Pisces had been talking about? The more I thought of it the angrier I got with myself for treating Pisces the way I did. And it would only get worse but first, I had to try. I had to find out. I emptied the vial's contents over Zak's mouth. It was a clear liquid and could have easily been water. But what could it do?

  The moment I poured the liquid, it transformed into a powdery substance, almost like stardust. I watched it hover over Zak then morph into something like a screen. A wispy visual depicting a land similar to Abinor. I looked on and voices could be heard too. There was someone crying and a new image appeared. There were trees and foliage everywhere until a bright blue light cut through and I saw Pisces. She looked younger as she wiped away her tears. She was calling out a name. I listened closely. She was calling out to someone.

  I peered closer into the visual and another image appeared. Humans. The people of Abinor. There were children who'd been playing with Pisces but stopped when they saw her crying.

  "Why did you come here?" came a new voice and an image appeared. I had to look harder as I wasn't sure what I was looking at. It was a. . . a man with a horse's body. Or a horse with a man's body? This figure cautiously approached Pisces and I noticed the green glowing arrow symbol on his arm.

  "Sage. . ." Pisces sobbed, "I tried to control it like you showed me but. . .but. . ."

  Pisces erupted in a wave of blue energy, and the other character stepped in to shield the villagers from Pisces's cosmic outburst. The villagers ran off in fear. The half-man half-horse character had fallen before Pisces who cried even more.

  "Listen to me. . ." he said to her, handing over what appeared to be a bow, "take this. Take it and get out of here."

  "But I don't want to leave you. . .I'm sorry. . ."

  "It was an accident. You didn't mean to, Pisces. Now you have to leave and find your way." The centaur-like being forced the bow into her hands. "Follow this wherever it goes. It will show you the way."

  Pisces cried, unrelenting.

  "Promise me you'll find your way. Promise me."

  "I. . .I promise, , ," Pisces cried as the being dissolved in ethereal white dust. She dropped the bow. It vanished at her feet after she made a failed attempt at trying to reacquire it.

  The villagers returned with soldiers. They confronted her with swords and pitchforks. I could tell she was afraid as she pleaded with them but they weren't listening. Another character showed up, materializing in an unforgettable fashion, his form ablaze. I watched Aries burn down all of the soldiers. All the women and children that had gathered there.

  He regarded Pisces. "What have you done?"

  "I-I didn't. . .I didn't mean to," Pisces responded, her voice quaint.

  "You know I can't let you come back," Aries said, "I could end you right here so, its best you run and never return. You know what the others will do when they learn of this."

  "But I—" Aries's body lit up and Pisces reared, stumbling and falling back.

  "Leave now," Aries pressed, "before I change my mind, little one!"

  More villagers were coming their way and there was a smile on Aries's face.

  "What will you do?" Pisces asked but I could tell she already knew the answer. She got up and ran, her character disappearing from the visual, leaving only Aries.

  The villagers were upon him. His whole form erupted in flames and the visual shifted to something else—something more modern and civilized. I could see skyscrapers, cars, a tower bridge—wait, was that the Tower Bridge from Sacramento? I looked closely. Yes! It was! What was this? What was going on? Why was I seeing this?

  I never got to find out. The visual dissolved after a bright blue light formed over the city of Sacramento and I was then looking at a powdery wave of white mist. The mist drifted down towards Zak's mouth, seeping into his lips. I waited. Nothing. I shook him. Nothing. I called him. Zak did not wake up. The vial didn't work, other than show me a past—one Pisces had kept from me and only then did I see why. I still didn't understand but I knew why she hated Aries so much and I was not the only one.

  The others had seen the visual too, giving off the same shocked reaction as my own. If you think I'd been angry before, well, buckle up dear reader, you're in for a wild ride.

  "Pisces did kill Sage but it hadn't been her will," I said to the others, apparently building up some kind of newfound energy within me. "Aries lied."

  "But why lead us to believe Aries killed Sage?" Leo asked and the silence was gone.

  "She was all alone," Parthenos offered, "she needed someone to work with. . ."

  "Despite how long it took. . ." Skorpius added. "Aries cast her away. She was still new to the group and no one would've believed her then—"

  "But you should have," my voice became firm and more solid. Somehow I had found a reason to fight. This even became evident when Sage's insignia lit up and a bolt of lightning shot towards the sky, followed by thunder.

  I moved away from the trees.

  "Where are you going?" Parthenos asked.

  "To do all I can and stop Aries from destroying this place," I replied with confidence even I wasn't sure where it was coming from.

  "You do realize that's suicide, right?" Leo offered.

  "You won't last a second," Skorpius said.

  "Look," I sighed, "I just realized I let down a friend who only wanted my help to do what's right. I'm not gonna do that again."

  As if on cue, there was a familiar whinnying and I turned to find a beautiful big white stallion trot out of the trees and come to my side. After everything I'd been through, Jon was a fresh breath of air. I stroked his magnificent white mane and he was more than pleased to see me as I was.

  "Who is this?" Leo asked, amused.

  "The only one who's willing to help me avenge our friends," I shot back, having no idea how the stallion had found me, though I figured it must have been the lightning.

  I looked over at Zak's body. I wasn't going to leave him. I still could not believe he was gone. Maybe the vial's contents were slow acting or something. I knew that was wishful thinking but I still dragged his body towards Jon and struggled to heave him over the horse. Leo was coming to help but Jon lowered his body just like he'd done when Pisces had been unconscious. If only Zak was unconscious. I propped Zak's body on his back and mounted.

  "What will you do when you get there?" Skorpius asked, his scar a pale yellow against his skin.

  I looked ahead. The volcano was moving. Whatever Aries had done to it, the lava could be seen as a pillar of fire in the distance, floating in the skies as clouds and lightning swirled around it. It was headed for Abinor, the same place I was going.

  I had no idea what I would do. "I'll do what I can," I said to Skorpius.

  "Let's go, boy!" I patted Jon, clutching at his mane while making sure Zak's body was well supported. Jon broke off into a spirited run, dusting the ground behind him and all I could do was maintain my gaze ahead where the real battle lay.

  I knew I might never find my way back home but now I had something else to fight for. I had to fight for Pisces and for Zak.

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