Rapture Chapter 3

Rapture 3

Back at our home, Lucia and I sat in silence. I got up and began to practice my martial art's kata (routines). I threw punches and kicks at the air, my invisible opponent.

"You wanna talk?" She began.

"About what?" I asked, genuinely wanting to know. We knew everything about each other.

"I don't know. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I should train." I replied honestly.

"Do you think about anything else?"

"Besides training.  You."

"Uh huh."

"Look, I don't have time for 20 questions. I need to train, not be distracted."

'So I am just a distraction then?"

Silence. I didn't answer. There was no right answer. She sat there and sulked, and I continued to train.

Later that night, since it was a weekend we went to the coliseum.  We met up with our friend Chiron. Chiron had noticed our skill in a street Spell Duel and offered us a way get back at the Olympians and to make money doing it: be gladiators in the coliseum against the Olympian's favored Spell Units.

Our bald, muscular friend lead us down under the coliseum to the waiting room for the next match. And as we waited in the dim, dank room he smiled at us  as he always did and said, "Good luck".

But this time he added, "You guys be careful out there."

I smirked at him, "come on, how many duels have you seen us win?"

"These guys are different. They are dangerous. It's as if they don't feel pain."

I was going to ask him what he meant by that but the announcer was calling our name.

"Let's go," Lucia said over her shoulder as she walked out. I followed. As we stepped into the open arena, we were greeted by the crisp night air. The crowd was cheering and as the coliseum was full, the sound was deafening. We waved and smiled but I did jot dare touch Lucia, she was still fuming from earlier though she was trying to hide it.

On the other side of the stadium entered two handsome young men, one younger with short cropped black hair and one older than me with short blonde hair. The guy with the black hair bowed flamboyantly while the blonde stood there as awkwardly as possible. 

After our opponents waved and the crowd died down, an Olympian sitting in the boxes stood.

The Olympian announced, "I declare this a Spell Duel!"

The crowd erupted.

The blonde spoke up then, "Evelake, let's go ahead and start. They seem alittle slow."

"Don't be so uncool, Bellamour. Being older means you should be chill-like me. Don’t rush it, just let it happen." Evelake winked at the blonde.

Evelake put his arm around Bellamour's shoulder and Bellamour followed suit.

"We are Voluptas. The soul and the mind disconnected; all that's left is your willingness. We will feast upon your desires. No love escapes our gravity."

They turned their heads and kissed, and the light of the gods shone bright.

I turned toward Lucia and she continued her stern look so I didn't approach. I tried to console her, "Relax, we are in a Spell Duel. Just stay focused."

"I am focused, I am not 'distracted'", she spat.

She began to call our True Name and I joined her, "We are Eros: beautiful, erotic...transcendent!"

The light filled us but that joy was short lived.

Evelake slipped his arm around his Guardian Bellamour and rested his hand on Bellamour's chest. "Go," commanded Evelake.

Evelake whispered into his Guardian's ear, "I love you" and his hand went lower.

Bellamour moaned and then attacked, "Chione blow. North wind, O winter wind blast them with your cold relentless fury. Freeze every molecule, even their blood. No blood, no heart. Completely frozen."

I took a step back towards Lucia and tried to counter the 3rd level spell, "Ifrit invigorate us with your inferno-"

"It's useless. Your defense has no base. It's too late, you are already frozen." Bellamour tore down my defenses.

Icy fingers seemed to wrap around my skin and burn it with cold like I had never felt before. I flinched but Lucia being the Sacrifice felt the full blunt of the attack. She squeaked in pain and held her frost bite arm.

I tried to push down my anger, but seeing Lucia hurt was maddening. Immediately I rushed to her side and she put on a brave face, "I am fine."

I grabbed her hips and pressed myself closer to her, "please forgive me."

She hesitated, "...I do."

"Thank you, Beautiful." I nuzzled her face. "When I touch you, this skin keeps getting in the way. This skin is coming between us. I want to understand you from the inside out. I want to get inside you."

I looked into her sparkling cocoa eyes and then kissed her. As I kissed her, I felt the heat between us grow below my waist.

Evelake observed, "What an elegant powerup spell. Bellamour!"

The blonde Guardian understood his signal to attack, "Hephaestus, bend the flame, dear ember and hurl it down upon them like your mighty hammer."

Fire rained from the sky, hurtling down like a meteor shower. Before the streaks of fire could reach us I spoke.

"Negated. We are already set aflame: mind, body and soul."

We took no damage as the spell landed with no effect.

Lucia grabbed my neck and arm pulling me until I bent over. She bite me on the neck playfully and whispered soft, "Take my strength. Win for me; and I will give you whatever you want."

The flame in my soul rose to my throat and tingled my skin from navel to head. I couldn't help but smile widely. Reluctantly I took my eyes from her and began a chant:

"Bébé, je suis de vous sa proie ce soir. Vous traquer, vous manger vivant. Tout comme les animaux."

Bellamour tried another spell, "Earth fissure-"

"Bébé, je suis..." I continued to chant the words that Lucia had taught me.

"Don't get frustrated, stay focused and attack." Coached Evelake.

Bellamour obeyed, "Earth fissure, sunder their footing. Bring them down to your level and break them like plates."
The ground beneath us began to shake and split open but the rest of the spell was lost.

"Les animaux.  Bébé, je suis..." I continued to chant. We took no damage from the spell.

"What the hell? Is it a defense spell?" Bellamour asked Evelake.

Evelake pondered, "No. It's different. Hypnosis? Yeah, I think it is self hypnosis. He has seperated himself from our words, from our spells, from this battle."

The dark haired Sacrifice smirked, "That's brilliant...but I'm guessing the Sacrifice has to do or say something to awaken him from the trance. If Seperation is what he wants lets give it to him. Let's try that one spell."

"Are you sure? We don't know what the side effects will be." Bellamour sounded worried.

"Do it."

"Two souls, two minds, two bodies. I seperate the bond between us: our fate, our destiny, our name...and I form another with you!" Bellamour walked toward us.

"I am the Guardian, I will defend your heart until my last breathe." He continued. 

He came face to face with me and reached past me touching Lucia on the shoulder.

"You are no longer Eros.You and he are no longer bound together. You and I, we are Nameless."

My wounds disappeared but Lucia's remained. I could no longer sense her the way I was use to. My vision began to blur as Bellamour turned and walked away. I searched for Lucia's beautiful face, and when I found it her eyes were full of fear. I wanted to console her but no words would pass through my lips. My vision dimmed and she faded away, I was alone again.

That feeling returned, like there was a chasm in my chest. The pain was surreal, it became everything. The pain overflowed and poured out of my body in a flood of tears. The sorrow was paralyzing, I couldn’t move, all I could do was cry. It was raining in my soul-a torrential downpour. I hit the floor, filled up with nothingness. It was all I could do to close my eyes and end it all. At that moment Eros was dead and if that bond was dead so was I: that is the fate of all Guardians.