“Who does he think he is!

I was the one that brought him here in the first place,

I swear It is to be Karina who did something who him,

I’ll get her back for this!” Lyra fumes, sat on the back of Apollo amidst his pushups,

“Mmhm,” he grunts motioning for her to get off,

“Karina’s harmless, Apollo says wiping the sweat off his face,

“I don’t think she has anything against you,”

“Maybe to you,” Lyra scoffs, “but you weren’t there, she knocked me out before I could even react!

Then, when I came to and went back, Kage was rambling about stuff, before attacking me too,

He’s lucky Zinnia was there, or he’d be history.”

“Hmm,” Apollo listens, “what exactly was the ‘stuff’ Kage was rambling about?

Surely it had to mean something, he doesn’t strike me as the talkative type,”

“Err,” Lyra hesitates, “I wasn’t even paying attention to the nonsense he was saying,

It was silly stuff really,”

“Are you sure?” Apollo presses

“Yeah,

Anyway,” Lyra quickly changes the topic,

“Then Zinnia used her magic and restrained us both, and I was thinking woah I didn’t know she could do that,”

“Ha,” Apollo chuckles, “I wish I could’ve seen that,

Somehow, I can’t picture Zinnia angry”

“That’s what I thought too…….”

“…………”

As the two converse jubilantly, they don’t notice the approaching figures,

“Apolloo!” Pinoki calls out,

“I have been avoiding you for a while now,”

“Ugh, Pinoki,” Lyra Groans,

“And him,” she stares daggers at Kage approaching with Pinoki,

~~~

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“Well… “Lyra steps, impatiently waiting for me to say something,

“What are you here for?” Apollo speaks up noticing the tension,

“You know this is where I come to exercise,

I’m assuming you were looking for me?”

“Precisely,” Pinoki affirms, “Kage and I need your assistance,”

“With?” Apollo inquires,

“It’s a long story,”

“We’re listening,” Lyra asserts

“While you’re at it why don’t you let Kage do the talking, he’s awfully silent right now.”

“You’re awfully lively for a person that wants to die,” I snap back,

“I- she starts,

“Lyra?” Apollo turns to her confused,

“I think I need an explanation from all of you,” he instructs bossily

“Don’t look at me, I’m just as lost as you,” Pinoki quips,

……

……

The four stand in an awkward silence for a few minutes……...

……….“Because I’m just like him,” Lyra blurts out,

“My brother I mean,

No matter how hard I try to care about people,

Just like him I feel like I don’t,

Besides you guys, who I know,

Not you Kage,

But outside of us, our group form the orphanage, I feel cold hearted, just like him,

When he killed our, no, my parents, he wasn’t even dedicated yet, he just wanted to, because it was a good opportunity, to test the extent of his cold heart,

They say your magic reflects your inner self, his was ice, just like me,

No matter how much I say I want to ‘save’ everyone, I fear that one day I’ll reach to his extent, cold hearted, remorseless,

I have to die, die trying to save everyone,

That will at least be my family’s legacy,” Lyra concludes with a heavy sigh,

“Are you happy now Kage?

Is that what Karina told you to get out of me?”

“Lyra, cruelty isn’t hereditary,” Apollo and I say in unison,

His glance meets mine and he nods,

“You are actually really naïve after all,” I laugh

“Huh?”

“What he’s saying is that if you really were cold hearted, like your brother, you wouldn’t think of dying to protect everyone from you,

That contradicts itself,” Apollo points out.

“I may not know much about magic,” I chime in,

“But as you said, a person’s magic reflects themselves,

From what I’ve seen, your magic is snow, not ice,

And just like snow, cold on the outside it may be,

But it’s really just soft, dainty, beautiful.”

“…” Lyra voices something but doesn’t finish,

“Darius!?” Pinoki and Apollo exclaim simultaneously,

I turn half expecting to see the muscular man appear.

“No,” Pinoki explains,

“We mean you, have you drunk a Darius potion recently?”

“You are saying corny things he would say,” Apollo adds jokingly

“I cringed,” Pinoki chortles

“I get why you are usually quiet now, if those are the things you go around saying…...”

“Achoo!” Darius let’s out a sneeze,

“Sorry about that Zinnia, anyways as I was saying, I think it’s amazing how you restrained them both with your magic,

“I didn’t know I could do that,” she chirps

“I always had a feeling babe, your magic reflects yourself after all, and just like you it’s serene, yet deadly, helpful yet beautiful.”

“Aww” Zinnia blushes,

“This is why I…….”

“You haven’t explained yourself to me yet Kage,” Lyra declares annoyed at the three joking around,

I nod to Pinoki, his demeanor becoming somber, as we both reiterate, our experience fighting that figure, his possible intentions and my plan.

“Wait, I’m confused,

Karina is the leader of the rats?” Lyra bleats,

“I already knew actually,” Apollo chimes, instantly receiving a hard shove from Lyra

“And you didn’t tell me?””

“Why would I, besides me, only the queen knew what Karina was up to, where else do you think she got the key to the seal that keeps us down here?

What I’m worried about is what Kage said about this ‘enlightenment’, what can we do about it?”

“Nothing actually,” Pinoki states dryly, “that has nothing to do with Kage’s plan,”

“A crazy plan at that!” Lyra remarks,

“How do you suppose we carry out such a thing?”

“We start here,

Why do you think we came looking for Apollo in the first place?” I explain,

“Apollo, can you help us kick some ass?”