Ayumu studied the map of Cerasis. A servant had left it out on the dining table several weeks ago and Ayumu had been studying it ever since. But now that he was actually away from home… he still had no idea where to go. After walking an hour, he had only succeeded in getting himself lost.

The intricate lines on the map were smudged and he couldn't read any of the street names. Ayumu hoisted his satchel higher on his shoulder and walked in what he assumed was the right direction.

Shadows created by the streetlamps reached for him with inked claws. Ayumu's boots crunched on broken glass as he walked.

Fingers closed around his shoulder. Ayumu tried to scream… but no noise came out.

"Hello again." A voice said. The fingers turned him around. Nothing. Nobody was there. Just the dark, foggy street… Unless…

Ayumu squinted. A cloud of fog floated in front of him… yes, he could see now. It was in the shape of a person.

The fog vanished and all that remained was a person. A man… with wings?

This wasn't a man. This was a monster.

Ayumu tried to ask "Who are you?" but no sound came out. He tried to move his feet, but it was as if they had grown roots into the ground.

The man smiled. A plain smile. "Ayumu Ruan, Prophet, seventeen years old. You've always had dreams of the Dirae, Ren. Don't look so surprised, I know everything about you. And when the time comes…" He pressed his finger into the inside of Ayumu's left wrist. The place where the man's finger touched burned, as if he was being branded. "I'll kill you both."

Ayumu blinked and the street was empty. His wrist throbbed. A black hourglass was inked on the inside of his wrist, shards of glass and grains of sand spilling down his forearm. Ayumu rubbed his wrist but it didn't come off. What was that?

It had seemed like an angel… but not the angels that Ayumu had heard about. Angels were supposed to be beautiful and kind… This angel, if that's what it was, was certainly not kind and beautiful.

Ayumu ducked behind a broken streetlight and stared at his map. The prison should be a block away… It wouldn't be hard to get in, being the Prophet. He tucked his map in his satchel and continued walking.

The wind blew bits of paper and trash along the street. Ayumu couldn't stop shivering, despite his warm clothes. The angle's touch remained, searing his wrist and soon spreading down his forearm. He ran.

He arrived at the prison a half hour later, gasping and exhausted. He hadn't run that much since he was a child. Iron bars surrounded the prison, too tall for anyone to climb over. Still panting, Ayumu walked to a tiny cubicle where at least one guard was always on duty.

"Name?" The guard said.

Ayumu straightened. "Ayumu Ruan. I want to be let in."

Even in the weak light provided by the streetlamps, Ayumu saw the guard pale. "M—my Lord, my apologies, I h—had no id—"

"Yes, yes, just let me in." Ayumu said.

Ayumu covered his nose with his sleeve. The prison stank of rotting flesh and feces. The guard led him past rows and rows of prisoners, all lying in their cells. Ayumu tensed each time they passed, expecting one to jump up and reach for him through the bars, but none of them ever did.

"Here we are." The guard stopped when they reached the very back of the prison.

"I don't understand… there's no cell here." Said Ayumu, pressing his hand against the smooth wall.

"Allow me to show you, My Lord." The guard removed a metallic disk from his pocket and placed it against the wall. Blue lines snaked along the wall in intricate patterns, until they formed a tree surrounded by swirls and stars. The guard pressed his hand against the disk. The lines glowed white and disappeared as the guard removed his hand. The disk expanded and became a metal door. The guard opened the door and Ayumu followed.

The room was tiny and made entirely of iron. Ayumu knew there would be a pale, broken form laying in the right hand corner, chained to the floor. Dark crimson hair, sometimes streaked with bright blood, would cover his face.

He had dreams of it every night, for thirteen years. Ever since he had mistakenly told Yuki about where Ren was.

Ayumu felt that same feeling as he always did when he was near him, even in his dreams. As if he were meeting someone he had known for his whole life.

"You can go." Ayumu said to the guard.

"My Lord, he's very dangerous—"

"Are you suggesting I'm stupid?"

"N—no, o—of course n—not—"

"Then go. I know how to deal with him." Ayumu said. The guard bowed and left, shutting the door.

Ayumu knelt beside Ren. It was so strange… meeting him for the first time and yet he'd been dreaming of him his whole life. Ayumu touched Ren's shoulder.

Ren tensed.

"Shh, it's okay." Ayumu said. "Can you stand?"

Ren shook his head and sat up. He only wore a pair of ripped shorts. Thick manacles chained his wrists and ankles to the ground. Ayumu inspected him for injuries, as he sometimes saw in his dreams, but Ren's skin was smooth. Despite being underfed, Ren was still muscular. Not bulky at all, but lean. He definitely didn't look like a prisoner.

"Who are you?" Ren's voice was hoarse.

"Ayumu,"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "The Prophet?"

Ayumu nodded, brushing his fingers over the manacles. Also iron. Ren snorted. "Why would the Prophet come to see me?"

Ayumu bit his lip and continued to brush his fingers over the manacles. He wasn't sure why, he had no idea how to break them… Unless…

He had a vague memory of being five. Yuki had confined him to his room for the day and he spent hours screaming and kicking the door. Exhausted, he had collapsed against it and thought of freedom. The door had fallen open and Ayumu had landed on his back.

Maybe he had more abilities than just visions.

Ayumu gingerly picked up one of Ren's manacled hands, turning his wrist over in his fingers. Ren's quicksilver gaze was fixed on Ayumu, but not in a suspicious way. Brows furrowed, lips pursed. Contemplative.

"Have we met?" He said. Ayumu's fingers froze. Did Ren feel it too? As if they had always known each other? Ayumu always assumed it was because of the dreams he had of Ren, but if Ren could feel it too…

"I—I'm not sure, it seems like it though."

"Hm," Ren said. He glanced at his bound hands. "Are you trying to free me?"

Ayumu nodded. "In exchange for freeing you, I want you to take me to Malliet."

"Why?"

"There's a school there I want to go to."

"And so you're just assuming I know where this school is?"

"I know you've been all over Cerasis. Just take me to Malliet and we can go our separate ways."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"No tricks?"

"No tricks."

Ren nodded and Ayumu took that to mean they had a deal. He picked Ren's left arm up and examined the manacle. It was thick but he could see no unusual markings on it. The skin of Ren's arm was unmarked and Ayumu knew it wasn't because he was never harmed.

A broken hourglass was inked on Ren's arm. Unlike Ayumu's, Ren's hourglass stretched across his forearm and the sand that poured out of it the same color as Ren's hair.

"What is this?" Ayumu said.

"I'll tell you when you let me out."

"I won't let you out until you tell me."

Ren shrugged. "Fine." He turned his back to Ayumu.

Ayumu sighed and rested his hand over one of the chains. He thought of freedom, of the chains shattering and Ren standing up. There was a clink and the chain broke. Ren looked at it but didn't say anything. Ayumu did the same with the remaining chains until Ren was free.

"Why'd you do that?"

"You won't tell me until you're ready." Ayumu stood. "Let's go." He held out his hand to Ren.

Ren narrowed his eyes. "You're obviously not stupid. And even people of noble birth know what Alvilaes look like."

An Alvilae meant something unwanted, strange and most of all, evil. They were characterized by having abnormally dark hair, almost black and silver eyes. Proof that they had stolen moonlight.

"Let's just go." Said Ayumu. He grabbed Ren's hand and pulled him to his feet.

"You could be leading me into a trap."

"Do you really want to stay here forever?"

Ren glared and yanked his hand away. Ayumu pulled his cloak off and wrapped it around Ren. It fell only to his knees, but it was good enough. Ayumu pulled the hood up and walked outside with Ren.

Ren walked so quietly behind Ayumu, that Ayumu kept having to make sure he was still there. A guard could come in at any moment. Ayumu waited for the other prisoners to notice that Ren was escaping, but they were all fast asleep.

Ayumu and Ren walked until the prison was well out of sight. Ayumu leaned against a streetlamp. "What does the mark mean?"

"It means that I'm an Alvilae." Ren shrugged. "Not a big deal."

Ayumu pulled his sleeve down over his left arm. "Oh, alright, I was just curious."

Ren strode past Ayumu and threw the cloak at him. It landed on Ayumuu's head. "Hey!" He said, yanking the cloak off his head. Ren ignored him and made a weird gesture with his hand. Black clothes grew over his skin, hugging his lean form.

Ayumu stilled. Ren could use magic now that he was free. He could easily kill Ayumu and leave. He knew that Ren was nice as a little kid, but Ren had been in prison for twelve years… There was a slim chance he was the same. And if he found out it was Ayumu who was responsible for imprisoning him, then—

"I keep my word." Ren said, stopping and turning to look at him. "And I won't hurt you. Unless you annoy me."

"How did y—?"

"I can taste your fear. Hurry up." Ren continued his quick pace down the street. Ayumu jogged to catch up with him and then slowed to a walk.

"Are you planning on taking me there tonight?" Ayumu said.

"Yes."

"D—do you think we could wait until tomorrow?" Ayumu said. Ren glanced at him.

"How come?"

"I'm too tired, I'll pass out before we get there."

"But you're an Alvilae." Ren stopped and pulled Ayumu's arm forward, pushing the sleeve up and exposing the mark.

Ayumu pulled his arm away. "I'm n—not. I mean, I c—can't be. I don't have silver eyes."

Ren snorted and stopped. They stood in a narrow alley, grimy buildings on either side. "Not all Alvilae have silver eyes."

"But I wasn't born with it! Some guy put it on me!"

"A guy?"

"Okay, well, an angel or a monster, I don't know."

"Shit." Ren grabbed Ayumu's wrist and pulled him closer. "Hold on, okay?"

"What?"

Ren wrapped Ayumu's hands around his neck. "Just don't freak out." Ren made a strange gesture and wings snapped out of his back. Wings Ayumu had seen in his dreams, when Ren was small. In prison, Ren kept them folded against his back.

They were at least as long as Ayumu. The light illuminated the black veins crisscrossing through them. Ayumu tightened his grip around Ren's neck. Ren gathered Ayumu into his arms and shot upward.

Ayumu could see where Ren had created holes for his wings to slip through. Cerasis was a murky blur below him. He buried his face against Ren's shirt, ears numb with the cold.

"Where are we going?" Ayumu said. His arms are the only things keeping me from falling. If he drops me, I turn into a puddle.

"Out of Cerasis."

"But—"

"Quiet, he'll hear you." Ren tightened his arms around Ayumu, crushing his ribs. Ayumu gasped quietly until Ren loosed his arms.

Ren slowed down and hovered in the air. He unwrapped an arm from Ayumu, who squeaked and clutched Ren's shoulders. Ren held his free arm out, palm down. He whispered something in a language Ayumu didn't recognize.

They hovered over a wheat field, which began to tremble after Ren stopped speaking. Black smoke rose from the ground, swelling until it encompassed the entire field.

"W—what's that?" Ayumu said. He tightened his grip on Ren's shoulders.

"Interveră." Ren said. "Now shu—"

Something smashed into them, ripping Ayumu from Ren. Before Ayumu could scream, he was back in Ren's arms.

Ren shouted a strange word and flew higher, darting back and forth. Ayumu's eyes streamed as the wind bit his eyes, clouds flying by in a blur. Ren stopped and pulled Ayumu closer.

"Wh—what is it?" Ayumu whispered. He could see nothing but the indigo sky.

"Zadkiel." They hovered in the sky, Ren turning them in a slow circle. Ren sighed. "Okay, I think he's gone. Hold on tight."

Ayumu clung to Ren. "Zadkiel?"

"The angel you met."

"How do you know?"

Ren shook his head and shot higher, Ayumu's scream lost in the wind. Ren folded his wings against his back and they fell. Wind stung Ayumu's face and ears, the swirling black smoke coming closer and closer.

Ren's arms were suddenly gone and this time Ayumu screamed, screamed as he fell, down, down into the black smoke. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to smack into the wheat field. And then there was nothing.