(Early April, 2076):
"If I didn't live for almost five hundred years, and was not well aware of the definition of a toxic relationship… this wouldn't worry me half as much as it does."
Atoli murmured as Kain wondered to her side. "Why is it toxic?" He asked, making Atoli sigh, "Axel won't leave her side. He's never done this with anyone we've rescued before…" Kain tilted his head, "Maybe she is special to him?" Atoli shook her head, "Axel isn't so kind. When he worries, we get no rest…" Kain watched her sigh and shake her head again before facing him with a smile, "Are you resting well, Kain?" She asked, her wry smile shifting to a warm smile that had him blushing as he numbly shook his head. "Y-Your mate?" He asked with a nervous shift of his feet. At the mention of her mate, Atoli giggled with a blush of her own, "he had a last minute emergency, but he'll finally be home tonight." Kain nodded, with a smile for the simple fact that Atoli was smiling.
'It's that smile of hers...I've seen it before.'
Kain watched Atoli twirl and squeal as she got lost in her own little world, 'that is familiar to me…' he thought as golden eyes flashed before him. 'Her smile, bright, warm and contagious… just like Atolis….' Kain thought as he tried to grasp at the memory. "Kain?" Said girl asked with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Kain blinked and shook his head with a gasp. "I apologize…" he started for Atoli to cut him off with a comforting pat his shoulder. "You don't need to explain. I can only imagine the hell you've been through." Kain just stared as Atoli nodded to herself, "please bring Axel down with you, lunch is almost ready." Kain nodded, instinctively standing straighter at the maternal tone her voice had taken. "Feel free to wonder as you please, Kain." Atoli murmured in gentle tones, "this is your home, as long as you wish it so." She promised as she slipped from the hall.
After standing and staring after Atoli, Kain wondered to Myriahs room to find the door open. He entered the room to see Axel sitting at her bedside. "Nī ēṉ eppōtum avaḷuṭaṉ irukkiṟāy? (Why are you always with her?)" Axel shrugged without looking away from Myriahs sleeping face. It was a valid question. He had no relation to this girl. 'Hell, I don't even know her…' he thought as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. 'I bumped into her, and it was by pure chance that she was the same girl that I'd be saving.' Axel narrowed his eyes, 'Atolis teasing me about it too…' his silver eyes found Myriahs sleeping form, 'I'm only making sure she finds her way back, lest all of my effort was for naught..' Axel nodded to himself. He perked up when he recalled that he was supposed to answer a question.
"If she wakes… I don't want her to wake alone." He replied, internally fidgeting. "If her magic explodes, it will be the end of us…" Kain tilted his head, "Antap peṇ eṉṉiṭam coṉṉāḷ... (the girl told me…)" "Atoli." Axel murmured.
"Hm?"
"The girls name is Atoli." Kain nodded with the a quiet 'ah.' "Maṟṟum karuppu hērṭu? (And the black haired one)" "her name is Jasmine." Axel murmured, lost in the puzzle of a sleeping girl before him, forgetting that only half of the conversation was in English. 'I feel something is off with her… but I cant put my finger on it.' Kain watched Axel shift his position slightly as he seamed to see something that Kain couldn't. Kain then looked at the sleeping girl, "Uṉakku avaḷai eppaṭi teriyum? (How do you know her?)" Axel eyed the boy behind him, "I bumped into her. While in school." He murmured, allowing his mind to go back to that day, "I stared into her eyes, and now we're here."
Kain nodded at Axels answer and he recalled Myriahs pink cheeks., "Avaḷ cāmpal niṟa kaṇkaḷ koṇṭa oru paiyaṉaip paṟṟi pēciṉāḷ, avaḷ avaṉai eppaṭi terintu koḷḷa virumpiṉāḷ... Ippōtu nī avaḷuṭaiya hīrō (she spoke of a boy with grey eyes, how she wanted to know him… and now you're her hero)." Axel offered a wry smile that made Kain tilt his head again, the man in front of him looked like a lost boy. A warrior who carries his demons deep in his heart. The sight of Axel had him speaking again, "Eṉakku atikam teriyātu. Āṉāl inta peṇṇukku yārō oruvar tēvai eṉṟu eṉakkut teriyum... Uṅkaḷukkum. (I may not know much. but I do know that this girl needs someone… and so do you)" Axel dismissed Kains words with a light scoff, "Focus on yourself." He muttered, shutting any kind of fondness Kain might have seen down. "Why do you not speak English? We both know you know the language." Axel muttered as he looked out the window. After a moment he eyed Kain before placing a gentle hand over Myriahs twitching one.
"You're closer to her age than you are to mine, yet you only speak the old language. Why?" Kain sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair, "I despise everything about them. Why should I honor their language too?" He asked in English. Axel shook his head as he brought his free hand to his chest. "Rightfully blind hatred like yours will get us killed." Kain narrowed his eyes, "it's easy to preach from where you stand!" The golden eyed boy exclaimed, "You have never been held captive by those barbarians!" Axel flinched, but Kain wasn't done, "You may understand the old language but you do not speak it. Do not presume to underst-"
"Paḻaiya moḻi kaṉavukaḷ maṟṟum vāḻkkait tuṇaikaḷukkāṉatu. (the old language is for dreams and life mates.)" Axel snapped, losing his patience at being shouted at by one who was a child compared to himself. "Uṅkaḷ veṟuppu eṅkaḷ paṇiyai iḻakka viṭātīrkaḷ (Don't let your hatred cost us our mission)" He glared at Kain as he moved to kneel at Myriahs side and took both of her hands in both of his, lest he kill the boy and rid himself of one of his problems. 'Her aura is only getting darker…' Axels eyed widened slightly, 'is that why I'm drawn to her?' He looked at Myriahs closed eyes and angled his body to face Kain who was watching his every movement. 'I need this boy out of here so I can think.' "We can get you to safety, or you can join our fight. The choice is yours. Until you leave us, your language of choice will be English." Kain could only nod, 'I knew he was intimidating but this is something else…' Axel needed this boy to get away from him before he gave into temptation and killed him. "call the witch." Axel growled, he looked over his shoulder when he didn't feel Kain leave. "Now." Kain visibly gasped at the ferocity in Axels eyes, what scared him, though was the color. Instead of silver, Kain stated in to pitch black, charcoal colored eyes. Not a shred of warmth greeted him. "You…" He spared a moment to glimpse at the canines protruding from Axels top lip. "Y-you're a…" Kain staggered backwards in his shock and fell to his bottom in his fear. "A…" Axels low snarl was enough to have Kain scrambling to his feet and scampering down the hall, pulling the door shut as he went.
'Avar... Oru kāṭṭēri'