"No way, that's so creepy." Nora said with a laugh. She sat in class with two of her friends by her side. One was telling her an inappropriate story.

"I know, he really tried that." The friend said seriously. Nora hugged her sides and shivered.

"I didn't know Aunedm was like that, and to think he asked me out." She said.

"I'm telling you, Aunedm is a real creep, but don't go telling anyone I said that." The friend said.

"Of course we won't." The other friend assured. Nora was about to say the same when her eyes passed over the door and she saw someone standing there. She frowned.

"What's wrong Nora?" One friend asked.

"Was just thinking about something." She lied. She stood, "I have to take care of something, I'll be right back."

Nora went to the door to meet this person who had only stood for a moment. A person who knew she would notice if even for a moment. She stepped outside and saw him duck into another hallway, leading outside the school. Against her better judgement she followed. Deep within she hoped this would lead to something better.

She left the budling after him, following him from afar. He entered the sport's shed and she followed. The second she stepped inside the door closed behind her, locking into place.

"You shouldn't do that Aunedm, someone might get the wrong idea." She said without turning to the blonde she followed.

"I heard you and Horatio aren't together anymore." He opened, stepping close behind her. She did not move, hoping that asserted herself.

"We...had a disagreement." She said.

"That's unfortunate. Though I can't say it's unexpected." Aunedm said, "Horatio was always hard-headed, and of a bad temper."

"You're not wrong, but that usually solved problems instead of causing them." Nora informed.

"Thus you would say he has changed?" Aunedm said. Nora felt his hands come to rest on her shoulder. She gulped and her breath came quicker. She knew what he was trying to do. Just like he had done with her friend. She held her breath. Her friend had said she did not dislike it, perhaps she would feel the same.

"Yes...he has." She said. Aunedm's hands went down to her waist, he pulled closer, holding her suggestively.

"I could talk to him for you." He offered.

"That won't be necessary, he'll come to his senses soon enough." She said.

"And if he does not?"

Nora did not answer. She was scared, she held his hand, halting its advance. "What are you doing?" She asked, a plea in her voice.

"Helping liberate you." Aunedm said. "You have something I want and I have something you want. This is simply a trade, a little cooperation between the two of us." He said.

"I'm underage." Nora said simply."

"That won't matter if you're quiet." He said.

Nora gulped. She had heard this before. A much too notorious line. She did not think this was a good idea anymore. She pushed away from Aunedm, turning to face him.

"I'm sorry but no." She said, her voice wobbly.

"Why? You should be delighted to." He said.

"Maybe...maybe I should, but I'm not like the others. I don't want this." Nora said and backed away.

Aunedm looked confused. "But you should." He said seemingly to himself. "Could it be? The Primordial Rose?" He questioned.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, still keeping her distance.

He shook his head. "Nora, please, listen to me."

"No!" Nora shouted. His words had a way of getting to her. Her friend had said something like that, said he had 'the gift of the gab'. She did not want to listen to him, lest he twist her heart. "My body is for one person alone. Granted he may not be alright now but he will be soon. I want to believe in him!" She said.

Aunedm opened his arms in an inviting gesture. Oh how she wanted to jump into them. She wanted to feel whole again. "I won't hurt you Nora. Trust me, It'll be great." He coaxed.

Nora was trapped. She could not leave without getting closer to him but she was scared he would try something.

"Please stop Aunedm, let me go." She begged. Aunedm did not listen. He came closer to her and held her hand. She felt warmth. She knew she had made a mistake, her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

"I love you Nora." He said in her ear and she felt it. She wanted it to be real. He leaned on her and she didn't push back. She landed on the soft pile of gym mats and looked into his auburn eyes. He was handsome. Suddenly, she didn't mind it that much, Horatio would just have to deal with being second.

Aunedm kissed her neck as he lay atop her, his hands massaging her sides. She closed her eyes, shutting herself against the part of her that screamed for her to push away. It would all turn out alright. She knew it, the one inside of her knew it. She did not want to think too much about it, she let Aunedm take control.

He leaned down and whispered in her ears. "I have enough money to give you a new life." He said, "We could be together, forever."

That sounded pleasing. She nodded slowly as his hands ran over her.

She was fine with this, lifting up her arms to give him easier access to her body. He held his hands above her, just about to begin when the shed door blew open.

The gate literally exploded inwards, ripped off its hinges it flew in and over them, smashing against the opposite wall.

"We meet again Aunedm Sefrych." A brash voice said. Nora turned to see, from within the kicked up dust a figure walking into the room. "I was wondering where you were." Green hair and blue eyes, a furious scowl on his face. "Little did I know, you're messing with my sister." He said. Horatio, her heart leapt.

"Your sister?" Aunedm said in shock.

"Yeah, I kinda lied to you back there, Nora is my sister, and I'm not particularly fond of giving my family over to creeps who can't keep their hands to themselves." Horatio said moving closer. He pointed his hand at Aunedm and formed a sigil on it.

"Never was a fan of you Voidwalkers, always doing what you want, setting your own rules." He said, painting the sigil with creeping tendrils.

Aunedm stared in shock, carefully standing, "But those are- But everyone knows you and Margulis are no longer partners!" He sputtered.

"To be honest I don't quite understand it myself. Don't need to even. I only have to act, and right now I'm this close to tearing you limb from limb" Horatio threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." Aunedm said. The tendril reached out from within the sigil, Horatio made a show of trying to hold them back.

"Who knows, these things are hard to control." He lied. Aunedm looked him dead in the eye then stepped to the side. Horatio closed the sigil. "I don't take kindly to your actions today, using Void devilry on my sister is something I cannot forgive." Horatio said as Aunedm edged beside him at the entrance. People would show up soon.

"I won't forget this, you're not the only one with ties to royalty!" Aunedm threatened and left.

He turned his attention to Nora. She laid on the mats, her eyes vacant, staring at Horatio. "Hey." He said with a wave.

"You shouldn't have come." She said, a tear dripped from her eye.

"Why shouldn't I have?" He asked. She looked away.

"I feel so ashamed." She said. Horatio stood silently, unable to find the right words.

"Horatio...I need a favour." Nora said.

"What is it?" Horatio accepted in a heartbeat, he would do anything to fix their relationship.

Nora turned to face him, she smiled mirthlessly. "Please forget about me, we'll both be happier that way."

Horatio felt time freeze. Nora's smile vanished, she began buttoning up her shirt.

"Nora, you're kidding me." Horatio said. "You shouldn't let him mess with you like that. He got into your head, so what?"

Nora did not answer. She sat up, her dead eyes meeting his. She stood and began to walk. Horatio stood in her path.

"Move away Horatio, or I'll scream." She said.

"I won't, you're not in your right mind."

"I'm serious." She repeated.

Horatio did not move. "You're feeling down Nora, it's my job as your friend to cheer you up." He said boldly. Nora chuckled.

"So which one is it?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Sister, friend or girlfriend, which one am I to you?" she asked. Horatio shook his head.

"Isn't it obvious Nora? You're family. You're everything to me Nora. I accept I made a mistake trying to hide things from you. I believed I had a good reason to, I believed that was the right choice, that your anger was the price to pay for the greater good." He said. Nora looked up to him, her eyes brightening as he spoke. "We both know this world is not what it seems to be. What you told me that day, about Sylvia, its stuck with me. I need to make sure, that in this imperfect world, I can protect you two."

Nora shook her head. "You shouldn't force that burden onto yourself, I shouldn't be questioning you." She said.

"Her name is Margulis Toldaap." Horatio said. "She showed me this world, and today, I'll show it to you." He said.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Nora was silent, Her eyes moved over Horatio carefully. "You want to show me?" She asked. Horatio nodded, "Please!" He reached for her hand but she pulled away.

"Why can't you just tell me? I don't want to go anywhere with you." Nora said plainly. She pushed Horatio lightly, creating room to move away.

Horatio reached out quickly, grabbing her hand. Nora spun, Horatio noted the surprise on her face. "You wouldn't believe me."

"I don't believe you even now. I can't trust you, Horatio, I won't trust you, when you can't even trust me!" Nora cried, shaking free of Horatio's grip.

"I'm fine with that. Let me be the bogey man, allow me to carry the burden." He begged her, reaching for the girl he once knew. "I want you to take risks Nora, I want you to uncover the mysteries of the world, and I will protect you. I'll be your shield Nora, no matter who comes for you they're going to have to go through me."

"Horatio..." She said, her voice was light. She looked away.

"Say you'll come Nora." Horatio said, reaching out to Nora. She stepped back, her eyes roaming the space. She was uncertain. She looked back to him.

"The one within tells me this is a bad idea." She said. Horatio chuckled and shook his head.

"No matter what happens, I'll protect you." He said. He pushed his hand out to her with a smile. "Aunedm won't be able to get you, neither will Margulis, or any other dangerous people. I'm taking responsibility of what's going to happen. I'll make sure you're happy, I'll protect that smile on your face. Because you're family Nora, and I never let anything bad happen to my family." He said.

Nora remembered the weeks before. Sylvia had fallen ill. She remembered Horatio had been with her. He always came home tired to check on Nora too. She could see he had an injury on his shoulder yet he walked all the way from the hospital to their house, several kilometres each day. He had gotten Margulis' family to give her the best treatment yet wouldn't ask for a car ride. She breathed.

Nora took his hand.

"We're going to head out of school, there's a place not far from here that'll be perfect for this," Horatio informed. Nora said nothing.

The sun had begun its descent, late in the afternoon Horatio put his plan in motion. Guided by the Analyst he would find what exactly the Void was, taking apart the veil that kept him blinded.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, seeing Noa look over her shoulder for the fourth time. She shook her head. "I feel her too." Horatio responded.

Fifty meters ahead was Jermanson park, still abandoned. The kids of the past had grown up, this neighborhood had remained unchanged for years, no new faces, no new kids, the park was low priority for them and had laid untouched.

"Here?" Nora asked, following Horatio's gaze.

"Nostalgic, isn't it?" He commented. Nora said nothing.

"My parents died here Horatio." She said. Horatio stopped. "I thought you said you were past that?" was what he wanted to ask but didn't.

"Your father would be proud to see you now." He said instead. He walked up to her, putting her hand in his. "And he would be proud to know that you have unraveled the greatest secret this world has to offer." He said. He sat on the swing, looking up to Nora who stood defensively.

He kicked up, a slow roll. "You got a name for that voice within?" He asked, Nora looked up in surprise. "I call mine the Analyst."

"What?" She sputtered, her eyes following him incredulously. He dug his feet into the ground.

"The Analyst, cos she's so good at analyzing stuff." He repeated. "What's yours?" He kicked up again.

"I..." Nora couldn't seem to get her words out she continued to watch Horatio swing, unable to believe the boy before her. "There's no voice."

"Oh really? You sure you're paying enough attention."

"Why are you talking about this now?" Nora asked, gripping onto his shoulder she brought the swing to a stop. Horatio leaned back in his seat with a raised brow.

"I'm not hiding anything from you anymore. Starting with who I am." He explained. Nora shook her head.

"After hiding it for so long, you're just going to lay it all bare, just like that? No ceremony?"

"Oh there's gonna be ceremony all right, you know she's coming."

"Margulis." The name left Nora's lips without consent.

"Take a seat Nora," He kicked up again. "I use her to control my 'powers'. I'm not really sure what they are, my hair glows and i get a bit stronger but that's about it."

"The analyst you mean? Or Margulis." Nora asked, still standing off to the side.

"The Analyst. Margulis gave me the sigils, the one i used to threaten Aunedm."

"And you said he was a Voidwalker."

"You're cheating you know, you gotta answer some yourself." Horatio said, digging his feet in once more and narrowing his eyes at her. She looked away, bringing a finger up to her chin.

"I don't hear it talk, its like a feeling." She said "It lets me see the future, I think.

"And that stuff about Sylvia?"

"I don't know, I told you everything that time. She sometimes acts strange, when she does i feel it from the one within. She once called it the Primordial Rose."

"Fancy, lucky. What futures have you seen?" Horatio probed. Nora took a seat on the swing beside him and pouted.

"Don't break the rules, its your turn."

Horatio chuckled. "Voidwalkers eh...not sure what exactly they are, just that Margulis is one, so are a few of the kids in school. Really tall, some got colored hair, some don't, and according to Margulis, each one has a superpower."

"Sounds a lot like you."

"Yeah but we weren't able to confirm or deny that. They said I've got traits of human and Voidwalker."

"Huh, wouldn't that mean Sylvia is too? Maybe your dad or mum were-"

"No way. Apparently Voidwalker genes are super dominant, even Margulis is a half -breed yet you don't see anything different from her and Aunedm." Horatio corrected. "But now you mention it, maybe the other Sylvia is her Analyst, like mine?"

Nora looked horrified. "It can take over you?" She asked.

"Only if i instruct her, haven't had her possess me or anything like Sylvia did. Maybe she's just now awakening to it?" He reasoned, prompting the Analyst to interject. "Sylvia has shown no signs of interacting with an internal Analyst such as myself, her situation is different to yours." He relayed the information to Nora.

"Anyway, I'm curious about the futures you saw, any with me in it?" Horatio asked.

"Now that you mention it, no, not once have you appeared in my visions. Wherever you're meant to show up like...whenever you're meant to show up i only see a black void, like I'm not allowed to see you." She explained.

"I feel you skipped something but whatever, we don't have much time left." Horatio heard a crack in the air, the rift was primed. He stood, walking over to the center of the park. He put his hand forward and into the rift. "Hold on to my hand Nora and whatever you do don't let go."

She's late.' He thought and began feeding energy into the rift.

"Get down!" Nora tackled Horatio as a ball of flames flew overhead, boring through the slide set ahead. "Thank god I foresaw that." She said.

"God damn it Horatio!" They heard a yell, just on time. They saw Margulis, her finger sizzling with the Flauna's energy. "Just what are you trying to do?" She asked.

Horatio stopped the transfer, turning to face her. "Margulis." He said with a smile, "I see its still attack on sight for you."

"Don't give me that shit Horatio!" Margulis warned. "Have you gone insane?" She asked.

"Quite the contrary Margulis. "I'm seeing clearly for the first time in a long while." He said, stepping in front of Nora. "Your Voidwalker lies aren't going to stop me anymore."

"Why have you brought her here?" Margulis demanded, gesturing wildly at Nora.

"Why do you care? So you can hurt her too?" Horatio yelled. His anger flared. He felt his energy flow faster and faster. Adrenaline poured into his bloodstream, he spat.

Margulis sook her head. "I should have known better than to leave you be, you'll damn us all!" Horatio could sense Margulis' frustration. He could feel it change to hatred. He breathed, he did not need to be angry at her. She was wrong, she did not know his pain.

"Girl," Margulis growled at Nora who jumped back, startled "You're in the wrong place, with the wrong person. Leave now, and forget all this...that is if you value your life." Horatio held her hand, giving her the strength to withstand the threat.

Nora was scared, terrified of Margulis. The things she had heard terrified her.

"Don't you dare threaten Nora!" Horatio felt his anger flare back up, more powerful than before. His chest thumped in his rage, it hurt, but that pain was much less important to him now.

Margulis pointed her palm towards him and a sigil formed. Red as her hair it was. Her energy began pooling towards it.

Horatio sighed. "That won't hit." And in a moment he had closed the gap. He grasped Margulis' wrist and pointed it towards the sky. The spell fired up, like fireworks it exploded, painting the sky with brilliant orange sparks.

Margulis gasped, realising Horatio was just before her. She yanked her wrist but Horatio's grip remained strong.

"Unchanging, you always kept me in the dark. At first I thought you had a plan, but now I see you're also lost." He said.

Margulis pushed back from him she held still, "I don't know what's come over you but you need to listen to me Horatio. You're putting every single thing in existence at stake. We don't know what the limit is, this could be our last."

"Yet tomorrow another Voidwalker is going to find a human to bond with." Horatio retorted. "Have you ever thought about that Margulis?"

"We do it to keep the peace, our people would die out without humans."

"So selfishly you're going to keep control over the knowledge. Just so you've got enough humans to take advantage of." He said. "Nora listen up. Margulis is a Voidwalker, her people call themselves guardians of balance, an empty moniker to slaughter thousands and prey on humanity for power."

"He's wrong! We're keeping you humans from attack day in and out. We work so you can be safe." Margulis called. "Horatio I know i kept you in the dark but you don't have to do this."

"Can you two stop?" Nora asked. "What are you fighting each other for?"

Margulis closed her sigil and dropped her hand. "I knew you would understand, I know its hard to be kept in the dark but its important for the fate of the world."

"Margulis." Nora began, trying out the name. "You want me to trust you?"

"Of course, we're only keeping humans safe."

"No you're not." Nora stated. "The rose weeps in your presence. You take life and profess yourself a guardian." She said.

"Nora?" Horatio felt a tingle run down his spine, her voice had changed, those words were not hers. "Margulis i need you to step away from her.

"No I'm sorry, We're sorry." Margulis fell to her knees before Nora Horatio watched on in shock.

"The Rose calls for penance. Only then can you attain absolution." Her hand reached out beside her, her eyes were a bright amber. Horatio felt a shift in the atmosphere, a massive energy began to manifest in Nora. Monstrous in size it billowed up.

"No, she can't handle it." Horatio dashed forward, propelling himself with a sigil depicting a raging tempest. He reached out for Nora.

"Cease." She ordered. Horatio's motion came short and he froze in the air.

"What is this?" He wondered, he hadn't been stopped, seemingly held in time. The energy would engulf Nora if he didn't do anything. Margulis remained prostrated, tears streaming down her eyes. The rose had taken control of Nora, and its words scared Horatio.

Nora put her hand up in the air, resting where the rift would form. "How did she know?" Horatio wanted to ask yet his lips were held in place.

A glassy shattering rang out, like a sheet of glass breaking underwater. An earthy energy rushed into Horatio, his memory was sent back to the day he had first met Margulis. The rift had opened to the realm dominated by earth energy, Corm Proxima.

Horatio, powered by the energy of the rift, ripped himself out of his shackles as the neutral plane formed and within it their foe. A singular trespasser, with a body shaped like an elephant and legs made of tree trunks. Upon is back were trees and shrubbery.

Beside him Margulis gasped in shock, she had awoken from her daze. "Did Nora just open the rift?"

"I did not teach her that." Horatio said.

"We need to get out of here, a Treant is far beyond our power." She said. The massive monster stood on legs made of tree trunks, it dwarfed them ten times over and its snout was long enough to wrap around its massive body twice over. Margulis was right, they had no chance beating this.

"We can't leave Nora here." He said. The girl had been taken over by the Primordial rose, she floated up before the monster, seemingly controlling it. "And if it breaks out of the neutral plane she's going to cause untold damage."

"Penance." Margulis said. "She wants to take out the Voidwalkers. "But what are we supposed to do?"

"The rift wasn't meant to open to Corm Proxima, Nora forced it here. Whatever she's being controlled by seems to have authority over the rifts, so making it go to sleep should send everyone back to where they have to be." Horatio said. "Its our only hope, fight with me Margulis, once more."

Margulis eyed him. "I thought you were afraid of being on the side of the Voidwalkers. Doesn't matter to me, I fight to protect this world."

A horrible broken trumped came from the Treant as it took a step towards them. Even if they wanted to run they doubted they could overpower the rose to escape. They had to fight, to free Nora from its grasp.

"When we're done with this Margulis, I've got a lot I want to tell you." Horatio said.

"Don't die Horatio."

"You too."

Two sigils depicting a roaring furnace formed before them as the Treant rushed towards them.

"Come to me, from the realm of flames: Solar Flare!"