Kingdom of Hallos, City of Beswind, Present day.
Anaria felt a thread of guilt sewing into her mind. But she simply smiled back at Xeto who was at a loss for words. She smiled inwardly, glad that he was unable to form a sentence, simply because it gave her more time to do the same. Many times she wanted to speak with him, to assure him that everything was going to turn out seamlessly. But it was difficult to give guidance on a subject she knew nothing of. She sat on the cold marble floor patting an area beside her.
Xeto cleared his throat. "Right." His armor clanked aloud as he sat crossed-legged.
Now that they were face to face, it brought back memories of what had happened in the tunnels. She commanded her body to resist, no resolve as blushed lightly.
"This is a bit harder than I anticipated," he whispered.
She was able to return a smile once more. "Every time our eyes meet, we can't seem to speak. So, what if we broke gazes?"
Xeto put a hand up to his mouth. "I'm not quite sure I'm following…"
Anaria exhaled as she turned her back to him. She hugged her knees and leaned against him.
He recoiled for a second before returning to place. They were now nearly back-to-back.
The room's large thick drapes didn't allow any sunlight to come in. Instead, the ball room had candlelight and crystals embedded into the ceiling. The top of the room was painted in a dark blue, making appear like a night sky. The small gems were to act as stars in the mirage above.
"We'll focus on something else. Not on each other." She pointed up to the many jewels that decorated the ball room. "Pick a star, then we can say what's on our minds." Her chest lightened as she felt his shoulders untense.
"Anaria. You're such a kind person…when I see…it only makes me revolt at how I act a times. I wish I could keep my emotions from boiling over."
Anaria took in every word. "Our mother used to tell us that without kindling a fire can never ignite. Though that advice was more for Roy who would get in fights with some of the other boys in Hansel." The memory swayed her to chuckle.
"So, is the fire supposed to mean anger?"
"In a way. Kindling could be unease; sparks would be the problems we face. It seems that you have a lot of kindling, Xeto."
"That's the truth, I'm the pinnacle of imperfection."
"I didn't mean in it in a harmful way," she countered. "With everything that you've been through, its natural that you be overburdened by it at times."
"But the way you looked at me…first in Hansel when I killed Raikal. Then when I denied you from helping the Zuland demon…and most recently, when I had Adulfus in my grasp."
From the corner of her eye, she saw him lower his head. Is that what you thought? That I despised you? I could never… She swallowed as her heart quickened. "My emotions were true then. I was dismayed about what I saw—but not at you, rather I was saddened to see you hurt." She placed a hand on her chest. "With my celestial aura…I could feel your pain any time we touch. You're not a monster, Xeto. When you take a life, the weight hurts you, even if it a despicable person."
He raised up one knee, resting his head on it. "I was trained to kill demons, not men. Before I met Rebecca, when I was a captain, I was the leading knight on a mission to Boru."
"Boru, the small village on the other side of the Owlen Mountains?"
"Yes. I was sent to investigate what had happened to another unit; Hollowstone. The commander of Hollowstone was my mentor, Izlan. I was worried something had happened to him. It didn't take long to get there, with me were my first subordinates. One was an older man; Ken. The other was a girl like Rebecca, her name was Sinon. She always talked about her older sister taught her everything she knew." His voice was shaky. He paused before letting out a slow sigh. "When we got to Boru, everyone was dead, every building painted red with blood. Their wounds didn't come from demons but from men. From Commander Izlan."
Anaria gasped lightly. A question formed but she bit her tongue.
"Izlan's sister, a woman who lived there, was killed by her husband. Izlan found out that her husband had been hurting her for months and that the rest of the people were fully aware of it. But they never did anything to aid her. So, the commander killed them all, men, women, children, it didn't matter to him. Said that they were all guilty for his sister's death." His breath shuttered.
"What happened?"
Xeto's voice cracked lightly. "I knew what my job was. I had to kill him. Insubordination. When the moment came—I hesitated. In that window, Izlan murdered Ken and Sinon. They didn't fail—I did." He paused between light sobs. "I failed, yet they're the ones that paid for it. I failed and I'm the one that lived." He pulled back his tears. "I was trained to kill demons, not men. But the line between them is blurred now. I can't help but think what happened to Izlan could happen to me."
Anaria bit her lip to hide her frown. "Please don't say that. It hurts me to see you say things about yourself." She leaned into him more. "I'm sorry about the ones you've lost. All you've ever done is try to protect others, ever since we were young. Roy, Rebecca, me, we all care about you." She faced him.
His eyes were still lightly glossed. "Thank you, Anaria."
Her lip quivered lightly as she instinctively moved in, embracing him. She took the moment of silence to release some of her aura into him. The tangled threads of his current pain unraveled slowly. They broke apart to share smiles, losing each other in one another's eyes.
Xeto retook his position, placing his back to hers as he looked up to the stars. "This will be over soon, then I can rest easy knowing you're out of harm's way."
Anaria felt a glitter of happiness in her chest as she hugged her knees and eyed the gems above. "You're right, it's almost over…"
Their moment of silence was interrupted as a burly man with long yellow hair and beard entered at the opposite end of the room. He waved at Xeto. "Xeto. You cunning dog. It's good to see you. I'd love to catch up but the meeting is going to begin shortly. I've discussed my terms and I've got you seat to attend and say your piece."
Anaria felt a lump in her throat as Xeto broke away from her.
"Commander Taloz. I apologize for—"
"Water under the bridge, boy." He placed a hand on Xeto's shoulder. "Come now. Let's end this."
"Yes, sir." Xeto saluted him before walking beside him. He turned once more and waved back her. He then did something she had yearned to see once more. He smiled.