Caelum

-Since I was little I have known...

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Sapere trains together with a young Caelum in an open field inside their property.

Caelum was clearly struggling with the training, for she still lacked the fighting techniques she would acquire later on in her life.

Sapere noticed that, but despite that, he showed no mercy. Lunging towards her with a kick made while moving his entire body in one rotation.

Caelum stood still while still in the kick's path, the only thing she did was raise both of her arms, trying to defend herself. Lastly, she closed her eyes and prepared for the impact, but they quickly opened again when she felt her arms being forced against her face by the impact of the kick. An instant later she realized something, her body was in the middle of the air, trowed off the ground by the impact.

She quickly landed back on the ground, falling against her shoulder. Seeing Caelum lying on the ground, Sapere approached her in silence.

When she noticed his approach, Caelum started to lower her head and curled up in the ground.

Sapere stops in front of Caelum and stares at her in silence.

Without lifting her head, Caelum says.

-Sorry…

Sapere sighs and kneels down to talk to Caelum

-Why did you close your eyes?

Caelum

-I was afraid.

Sapere

-I told you to keep your eyes open, so do it.

Caelum

-Why?

Sapere

-For you to see the attack and dodge.

Caelum

-But I can't! I'm not strong like you!

Sapere

-Caelum, listen, I'm weak, everyone is, in life we can't take all the blows. And curling up will only make them attack you from all sides, so you need to dodge.

Sapere gets up and stands and says.

-Once again!

Caelum, more determined now, stands and assumes a battle stance.

Sapere speaks as he spins his body preparing a kick

-Keep your eyes open!

Sapere speaks in the middle of the kick

-And dodge!

Caelum focuses all of her attention on Sapere's leg in motion... and when the right moment comes, she ducks, barely dodging.

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Caelum

-I learned to dodge, no, that I have to dodge blows that I can't take, but even so, at that moment...

Caelum stares in shock at Sapere's unconscious body tied to the wall by shackles, severely bruised, his clothes stained with dried blood. On the floor of the cell, she could see several feathers scattered around a pair of wings.

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Caelum

-I couldn't look away.

Caelum grabs the bars of the cell, trying to force them open.

Zarco approaches her with the set of keys as he speaks.

-Hey, the key-

Caelum interrupts him by wrenching the key from his hand and desperately putting it in the latch.

-Sapere! I'm going! Just wait a little more!

Caelum unlocks the cell and opens it wide open, but before she can run in, a fist smashes into the back of her head.

Caelum looks back only to be surprised and annoyed to see that Zarco was the one that punched her, getting ready to punch him right in the face she says.

-What the hell are you-

Zarco interrupts her screaming

-DO YOU WANT TO KILL HIM?!

Caelum

-Huh?!

Zarco

-Look at his state! If you're going to grab him hastily like that, it'll only make the situation worse!

Caelum

-I would not-

Zarco

-You were going to let him go off his shackles and grab him while yelling “SAPERE! SAPERE!" Right?! You can't handle someone injured like that!

Zarco walks past her and enters the cell.

Caelum places a hand on Zarco's shoulder, stopping him.

-Where do you think you're going?

Zarco

-I'll check his injuries.

Caelum

-Are you some kind of doctor by any chance?!

Zarco looks Caelum in the eye and speaks.

-Do you trust me?

Caelum

-No.

Zarco

-Then you better start to, because I'm this guy's last hope.

Zarco lets go of Caelum and approach the injured Sapere.

Zarco without touching Sapere begins to look at the wounds.

Zarco thought

-Ugh, shit! That's too much blood, don't look directly! No! I can't pass out now! Let's see, most of the damage is only superficial, but what about the place where his wings got cut off? Oh no... that's disgusting! But I will not faint! Ok... it's poorly treated but still... it's enough I guess. Huh, they probably left him here to die of some infection or something, or maybe bleed off incredibly slowly...

Caelum asks fearfully.

-How is he?

Zarco says without turning his face towards her.

-Very bad, but I can save him.

Caelum

-You can?!

Zarco

-Yes, I just need my crystal, if I can open a portal out of here we can bring him to a safe place to treat him properly. For now, just give me the cleanest pieces of your clothes.

Caelum bends down and faces Zarco directly.

Zarco looks at her in nervous silence.

Caelum speaks with conviction while ripping a piece of her shirt.

-Ok.

Zarco

-Huh?

Caelum says while handing him pieces of her clothes.

-I'll trust you, on this matter, and for now.

Zarco just accepts it and starts to bandage Sapere while trying his best to not look directly at the wounds.

Caelum notices it and says

-Do you really know what you're doing? Even I should be able to do basic first aid.

Zarco

-Hey! I know exactly what I am doing! I am just not good with blood ok?!

Caelum

-What?! Don't tell me that is why you lost to the soldiers...

Zarco

-No! I didn't faint from looking at my own blood! It was from another thing! Plus, I avoid looking directly at my wounds.

Zarco finishes patching Sapere and then stands up.

Caelum releases Sapere from his shackles using the keys and then grabs his body carefully.

Zarco

-Leave him here, he will slow us down.

Caelum

-What?! But you just said-

Zarco

-Don't misunderstand me, we will help him, I will open up a portal and grab him when we get my cristal back.

Caelum

-You really are pushing it aren't you?

Zarco

-You know it is the best course of action, otherwise, you would be ignoring me.

Caelum lets out a disapproving grunt but still agrees with him, she then slowly leaves Sapere's body on the ground against the wall.

Caelum says to Sapere

-Sorry, but you will have to wait just a little more...

Zarco stares at her in silence for a moment, then he turns his face back and appears to be crying.

The skinny one questions out loud to his partner while they watch the scene.

-Seriously? He is going to cry now?

Albator silently agrees.

Contrary to what they believed, Zarco was not hiding his face to hide his crying, it was to hide his smile and hold back laughter.

Caelum finish saying a temporary goodbye to Sapere and then notices Zarco acting weird, in a different way than usual. After turning towards him she questions.

-Hey, are you okay?

Zarco turned his face away again, this time with a hand covering his face.

-Yes, let's go.

He then walks past Caelum, towards the door, and then hands the bunch of keys to the thieves as he speaks.

-Here, go and release your bunch.

Albator

-Huh? Y-yes little boss!

He leaves the cell with a huge smile on his face.

Zarco thought

-This is… SO RIDICULOUSLY PERFECT! I can't even believe it! She is really going to trust and help me! I never thought there could be anyone so desperate! And those thugs need to keep me alive, which means I can count on them until they're useless! UNBELIEVABLE! After losing everything I get such perfect pawns! In no time I will get back my cristal and be free again!

Zarco is smiling as he thinks to himself.

-THE UNIVERSE CONSPIRES IN MY FAVOR! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Caelum

-Are you really okay?

Zarco retains his calm face, with a more gentle smile on his face

-More than ok, now let's go, my friend! We have a pebble to retake.

Caelum follows him, still hesitant about leaving the cell and Sapere behind.

Zarco and Caelum separate themselves from Albator and his partner, they both walk in silence in a stone corridor towards the stairs that would lead to the level above.

After a few moments, Caelum says.

-You know, something piqued my curiosity.

Zarco

-Hmm what is it? Want to know how I can make my hair look blue? Well...

Caelum

-No, that's not it. It's about your plan.

Zarco

-What part of it?

Caelum

-I understood the part of using the crystal to get Sapere out of here, but then where we will go?

Zarco

-Well, you see... we're running out of time Caelum! We don't have time for me to properly explain it!

At that moment Caelum was about to say something else but quickly stopped when she heard movement coming from the floor above.

They both stop, completely still with a terrible feeling about what lied ahead.

END OF THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER