Scyon Part One

by nwcam01

This is a rough draft, and incomplete. Please remember to give me some feedback!

This is just a rough draft of my book Scyon: The Dimensions Angels.

This is most of part one (I couldn't get the rest), and I was thinking it would be a good idea to ask you guys for some constructive criticism. So, without further ado, please enjoy and tell me how I can improve! :)

A business jet crashed into a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport on Sunday. No one survived the crash and subsequent fire, but authorities did not immediately determine how many were on board.

I stopped reading right there, I didn't want to see the names of the people who died. I knew that there were two of them I couldn't handle seeing.

"Cae... What are you-" Jade started, but her voice cut off as she read the article in my hand. "Oh... Cae, I'm so sorry... Were your... Were Domi-"

"Jade, stop." I didn't let her finish, I didn't want to hear the names of the people I lost. I stopped myself from thinking their names, I couldn't... wouldn't think of them.

"Are you okay?" Jade's voice was a silent whisper, her breath brushing against the back of my neck.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked, stumbling into the room, half asleep, his hair pointing in all directions.

Jade stepped up to him, whispering something in his ear that I didn't catch.

"Oh..." Erik said, walking up to me and placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Cae."

I stood up, shaking his hand off. "I'm fine, Erik. I'll be in my room."

I had to get out of there; I needed to let myself think those names...

Dominik, Isaac, my brothers, two of the casualties on the plane.

"Cae! Cae! Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I said, bounding down the stairs and brushing my hair out of my eyes.

It was four years after the death of my brothers Dominik and Isaac, and I had pushed the pain to the back of my mind, my thoughts occupied with other problems. For example: I was late.

"Cae! Get out here, the car isn't going to wait for forever!"

"Oh my god, Jade! I'm coming already!"

I heard Jade heave a sigh as I passed her on my way to the kitchen. "You're always like this..."

I grabbed her hand as I passed her again and started to pull her out the door. "Come on, we're going to be late." I mocked.

She swatted her hand at me. "Oh, shut up and get in the car."

I smirked and slid into the shiny black sedan, not bothering to fasten my seat belt. Where we were going, there were no laws.

"Hey, guys." the driver said, turning to us and resting his hand on the seat beside him. "Where to this time?"

"First Dimension" Jade said, handing him a slip of paper.

The driver nodded. "Got it."

The drive took less than twenty minutes as we shot through the freeway traffic, speeding in between lanes at speeds that would give any normal person nausea. Good thing we aren't 'normal people'.

The car suddenly stopped, causing me to slam into the seat in front of me.

"Alright, here we are." the driver said, unlocking the car doors.

Jade thanked him and stepped out of the car, me on her heels. I gasped at the scene that unfolded before me. We were at one of the tourist spots in one of the Redwood National parks in Northern California. The trees seemed to stretch on forever, and the smell of bark and dust overpowered all else. No one said anything as we jumped over the gate, stepping further into the forest, the ground dotted with spots of light. Although it was the middle of the day, the forest was dim and silent. The only sounds were our footsteps and my pounding heart as we trekked through the thick vegetation.

"Stop." Jade said, her voice breaking the almost silence. "We're here."

I looked around. "I don't see anything. Where's the portal?"

Jade turned back to me, pointing at a small dot of light on the ground in front of me. The light didn't look like sunlight, it was too iridescent. Colors swirled in the small dot, making patterns then drifting apart like clouds on a windy day.

"That's the Dimension Portal?" I whispered.

Jade nodded, stepping forward. "Watch." she said as she placed her hand over the light. The light vanished for a moment, and then came back, seeming to engulf her entire body. "You don't need to do anything to open a Dimension Portal, if you're eligible, you can pass."

I watched in astonishment as Jade's form was absorbed by the light. I squeezed my eyes shut as it became brighter and brighter. When I opened them again, Jade was gone, and the spot of light had returned.

"Jade?" I called, my voice hardly audible. The only response was her words resounding in my head.

I dropped to my knees, placing my hand over the light.

Nothing happened.

"Uh, hey, light? Can I um, pass through?"

Nothing.

I was about to give up when all of a sudden, I felt a flash of pain shoot up my arm and into my heart. I tried to jerk my hand back, but I was frozen in place. Everything started to get brighter, and brighter, the blinding light becoming the only thing in the world.

Then it was raining.

"Welcome to the First Dimension." Jade said, stepping up to me.

"Why is it so..."

"Empty?" she offered.

"I was going to say 'wet', but that works too."

Jade laughed quietly. "It's the First Dimension, so there isn't anyone else here to challenge you."

"How flattering," I said, my words dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so powerful; all of the others have to stay away."

"Aw, calm down." she said, taking out a small dagger, flipping it in the air twice and sliding it back into her sheath. "It takes time before you're as good as I am."

I rolled my eyes and began to walk forward. "Is this just the First Dimension, rain and grass?"

Jade shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

I groaned. Why did I have to learn about my talents one year ago and not when I was ten like all of the others? Instead of coming here when I was ten and sharpening my skills for five years, then getting tested, I only have two years until the coming of age ceremony that's held for every Scyon. "So what, do you just let me run free and then rein me in, or..."

"I teach you about the dimensions and your powers as a Scyon." she said, pulling a little leather drawstring bag out of her pocket. "You're still new to your talents, so you need some training in a Dimension."

I looked out over the rain soaked hills of the First Dimension. I still didn't know much about what the Scyon do, but I did know the basics. The Scyon are warriors chosen by a higher power. Before a new Scyon is born, one Scyon of the opposite gender is chosen to lead the younger Scyon and teach them about their talent. It's like a required first mission for a newly developed Scyon. At the moment, I only know what Jade's talent is. She has an offensive talent, the ability to predict battle plans from the enemy. This made her one of the top ranking strategists, but she wasn't made of steel. I still have no idea what my talent is, but I guess that's why we're here in the first place.

"Alright, come at me."

I spun around. "What? Just like that? You'll beat me half to death!"

Jade half smiled. "So? Do you want to know what your talent is?"

I sighed, giving up. "Alright, whatever." I started to run towards her, no plan in my head, knowing that mapping my moves out would only help her.

"No, no. Plan out what you'll do. Pretend that you're fighting against a normal person with no talents."

I took a second to think out what I would do. Suddenly, a burning pain shot up my arm. "Ahh!" I yelled as my knees gave out. I fell to the ground, clutching my arm to my side.

"Cae!" Jade yelled, running up to me. "What are you-"

She didn't get the chance to finish before an enormous shape materialized in front of me.

Jade jumped back, her hand flicking to her weapons. "Who are you, and why are you in the First Dimension? I'm training a new Scyon; you aren't allowed passage to this place!"

The creature hissed something in a language I didn't know and began to morph into something different, its arms and legs becoming skinnier and its height shrinking to about five feet. Long silver hair sprouted from its head, and its skin became a pale ivory. It was only when its big, ice blue eyes, framed by long black lashes, opened and looked straight at me that I realized that the creature was a human girl.

Jade stepped in front of me, still in a defensive crouch. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"That boy." The girl said, pointing at me. "What is his name?"

I was so lost in the girl's features that I couldn't answer.

"Why do you need to know?" Jade kicked me in the knee, breaking me out of my trance.

The girl smiled and turned over her shoulder, looking into a forest I hadn't noticed before.

Has that always been there…?

Jade stiffened as another shape began to appear from the trees. It was another girl, exactly like the first, but with black hair and bright, blood-red eyes. She was followed by two men who also looked the same as the girls. The one on the left looked like the white haired girl, and the one on the right was a replica of the red eyed girl.

Suddenly, my vision blurred and I found myself on the immobilized.

"Cae!" Jade yelled, but her voice seemed far away. I felt arms pick me up and begin to walk away with me.

I woke up in a large room with golden walls. I sat up, wincing as I stretched.

"Ah, you're awake."

I jumped, whipping my head around to see who had spoken to me. My eyes landed on the two men who had been in the First Dimension. They were lounging on a large couch, the white haired one's feet in the other's lap. The black haired one was smirking at me, a smile that made me uncomfortable.

"I thought you were dead." The white haired on said, swinging his legs off the other boy and walking purposefully to the side of the bed. "Good to know we didn't kill you."

The black haired one laughed. "Maybe, maybe not. You know how it is, win some, loose some." His smile became darker, more sinister.

I heard a sigh and saw the two girls walking in through the door. "Dimitri, Leo, shut up. You're scaring him."

"You're the one who confronted them as a monster!" The white haired one retorted. "You're not one to talk."

The black haired girl rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. I really don't care, as long as he agrees to stay here."

"What are you talking about? Why would I stay here?"

All four of them turned to me, their expressions a mix of surprise and exasperation.

"We were getting to that." The blue eyed girl said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm Ciella, by the way. This is my brother, Leo, and these two are Lilithe and Dimitri."

"What's your name?" the white haired boy, Leo, asked.

"Why do you care?" I questioned, still defensive. Not that I could take them all on, but it's good to be cautious.

Dimitri sighed. "Jesus, you just don't get it, do you? You're here now so just tell us!"

I shrank back his outburst.

Ciella looked irritated. "Dimitri, shut up. And you," she said, looking me in the eye. "Your brothers were Dominik and Isaac, right?"

My eyes widened. "How did you…"

Leo looked away. "They were… Very important people to us. We've been trying to find the last heir for so long; I can't even begin to tell you."

"I can." Lilithe said, speaking up. "Three years, five months, two days, and fourteen hours."

"Thanks, Lil. We definitely needed to know that." Dimitri said.

"Shut up, Dimitri."

Dimitri smirked and turned to me. "Anyway, we need to know your name. There's still a chance that you aren't the one we're looking for, and if that's the case, then we'd have to kill you."

"What!?"

Ciella stood up. "Dimitri! Stop scaring him!"

"Cae…" I whispered.

They all turned to me again.

"What was that?" Leo asked quietly.

"My name is Cae Ross."

There was a moment of silence.

"It's really him…" Lilithe whispered.

Ciella smiled up at Leo. "We found him!"

Leo nodded. "Yes, but now we have to train him."

Dimitri threw his hands up. "Not it."

"Me neither." Lilithe said, looking at me from the corner of her eye.

"We'll all help." Ciella said.

"Um, excuse me? But I still have no clue what's going on here, could someone please explain?"

Leo rested a hand on my shoulder. "After you eat, you must be starving."

My stomach growled, as if to back up his statement.

"We'll explain at dinner."

"So, you've been looking for me?"

"Yes, your brothers were very close to us." Leo said, passing me a plate filled with food.

"How did you meet them?" I asked, taking the plate and sitting down.

Lilithe and Dimitri exchanged glances, and Leo and Ciella looked away

"We, um…" Ciella started.

"Ciel." Leo said, his voice stern and demanding.

"It's alright; I guess you don't need to tell me." I said, quickly backtracking. "Then, can I ask another question?"

Lilithe nodded. "Sure."

"Who, or… What are you?"

Leo looked puzzled. "I forgot you didn't know."

Dimitri snorted, his mouth turning up into a disdainful smirk. "You know how there is the creator of the Dimensions?"

I nodded.

"And," Leo said, "there are the high ranking Scyon, up in the 100th Dimension."

I nodded again. "But, are you Scyon?"

Lilithe laughed. "No, we're not."

Ciella sat in the chair next to me. "We're called the Angels. The Dimension adjudicators. We watch over the Dimensions."

My eyes widened. "You're the Dimension Angels!?"

Leo laughed. "Yes, we are."

I was rendered speechless. The Dimension Angels were here. In front of me. They wanted to talk to me, they needed me.

Dimitri's face suddenly appeared in my vision. "Well? Don't you have any questions? Or are you just speechless because of our ultimate power?"

I jerked my head back. "I-"

"But," Leo said, cutting me off. "We need to finish your training, first. You still don't know your talent yet, right?"

"Yeah, you guys kind of interrupted me…"

Lilithe spoke up. "I can do that."

I looked at her, surprised. "You can? How?"

She smirked at me. "All of us can. It's an Angels' talent."

"Speaking of talents," Ciella said, "we should tell you ours. As you probably know, each of us is connected to an element. Leo is air, I am water, Dimitri is fire, and Lilithe is earth. We each have multiple talents related to our element, plus shape-shifting."

"You can all shape-shift!?"

Leo smiled warmly. "Yes, we can. We also have these things called 'charms'. Each of us have one, they're like a booster to one of our talents."

"Wow…" I whispered, my gaze moving from one Angel to the next.

They're all so powerful, and I don't even know what my talent is.

Ciella smiled. "Let me help you find your talent, Cae."

"Ciel, maybe I should-"

"Leo, you got to check the last person. Sure, you're more experienced than me, but that's because you never let me do it!"

Leo sighed. "Alright, I get it. Come on, Dimitri."

Dimitri mumbled something that sounded like, "Why not just let Leo mess the kid up?" and stalked out behind Leo.

Ciella sat down next to me, her face serious. "Close your eyes, Cae." She said, her voice stern and powerful.

I did as she said, plunging myself into a world of black.

"Lilithe."

I heard footsteps and guessed that Lilithe was standing next to me. "Cae, I'm going to put you in a catatonic state. Just calm down, and listen to my voice."

I woke up in a brightly lit room. My head was fuzzy, and my muscles were aching.

"Ah, he's awake."

I sat up to see who was there, only to wince in pain and lay back down again.

"You look horrible."

They stepped into my line of sight. Leo was standing there, Dimitri by his side.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Dimitri mocked. "How was your slumber?"

I rolled my eyes. "How long was I out?"

Leo looked at the clock. "About five hours. Not too long."

"But I am surprised that Ciella couldn't figure out your talent." Dimitri said, slouching against the wall.

"She couldn't?"

Leo looked worried. "Yes, this is the first time she's failed."

"It's probably Lil's fault." Dimitri joked. "I should have done that part."

Leo glared at Dimitri. "Don't act like this isn't important, Dimitri. I will re-check him, and you'll help me, but you need to take this seriously. "

Dimitri sighed. "I wasn't saying that, Leo. I want to find out the kid's talent as much as you do."

"I'm not a kid." I piped up, causing them to turn to me.

"You're thirteen." Leo said.

"How old are you? You sure don't look much older than me."

"I'm fifteen, Leo is seventeen, and the girls are both fourteen. We're all older than you, even if it's by a year. And we're also the Dimension Angels, so that has to add on a couple of years to our maturity levels."

I looked away. "I'm still not a kid."

"You're a kid to me, kid."

"Stop calling me that!"

Dimitri smiled and began to open his mouth to say something but Leo cut him off. "Come on, now that he's awake, we should find out what his talent is."

Dimitri looked annoyed for a second, but then sighed in defeat. "Alright."

The mood suddenly switched from light and teasing to heavy and serious. The laughter left both of their faces and Dimitri walked up to me, his posture holding a new air of power.

"Lay back." He said, gently pushing my shoulder down on the bed, and keeping his hand there. "Cae Ross, I will now put you into a catatonic state. Close your eyes, and focus only on my voice."

I closed my eyes once more, and the room became comfortably warm. One by one, my muscles relaxed, and I felt like I could fall asleep right there, except for the fact that my mind was on hyper-drive. My mind bounced all over, not making any sense as my thoughts shot from place to place. The last thing I remember thinking was about how much I missed Jade.

"Cae! Cae!"

A voice was calling my name, far off in the distance. Soon, it was joined by another.

"Cae! Wake up!"

Am I asleep?

"Ciella, he may not. He did just go through a big change."

"Who would have thought that a young Scyon like him would react to the check like that?"

"I just want him to wake up…"

Wake up… I need to open my eyes…

I saw a sliver of light. I began to slowly force my eyelids open.

"Cae!"

"Jesus, Ciel. You yelled right in my ear…"

"Sorry, Dimitri."

"What…?" I found it hard to speak. The world kept going in and out of focus.

"Cae, what do you remember?" Leo was standing to my right, his hand on my shoulder.

"My mind started bouncing all over the place, and… I can't remember anything after that…"

Leo cursed under his breath. "I thought you were just a normal Scyon boy, but obviously, you've taken after your brothers."

"What do you mean?" I still found it hard to speak, and my words were slurring together, but somehow, Leo could tell what I was saying.

"Dominik and Isaac's minds wouldn't allow us to check them for talents."

"Oh."

Dimitri sat down on the edge of the bed. "Looks like we'll have to find out the hard way."

"Or we could have Alexandria check…" Ciella offered.

Dimitri turned to her, his glare seeming to burn through her. "No. We won't."

Ciella shrunk back. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

I was confused, but I decided not to ask. Instead, I looked over at Lilithe, who seemed indifferent to the atmosphere of the room. She was sitting with her legs hanging over the arm of a large chair, inspecting her nails. "I don't really care what we do, as long as we do something." She said suddenly, looking straight at me.

"I need to take a look at him before we try anything else, so why don't we wait to decide after that?" Leo said, stopping the debate. Then, turning to me, he asked, "Can you stand?"

I tried to sit up. I couldn't. "Don't think so…"

Leo nodded. "That's fine, I wouldn't necessarily think you would be able to."

My eyes drifted to the other three, who all looked away. "So, um, what do you mean by 'look at me'?"

Leo looked me in the eye. "It's just a mind sweep, nothing too big."

"Oh."

"Are you afraid?" Leo asked, sitting down in front of me.

The others had already left, and it was just him and me alone in the now dark room.

I shook my head.

"Alright, then." He said, placing both hands on my shoulders. "I need you to keep your eyes open as long as you possibly can."

I nodded.

"Okay, here we go."

A weight seemed to slam down on me, shoving me into the bed. The pressure set all of my nerves on edge, and I could feel every little thing that was making contact with my skin. I forced my eyes to stay open, and reminded myself to breathe. I saw Leo in front of me, his eyes closed and his eyebrows drawn down in concentration. I took another gasping breath in as I felt a new presence in my mind. I instinctively tried to push it out, not wanting anything seeing my thoughts as I did.

'Cae, it's only me.'

Leo?

'Yes. Just calm down, and keep your eyes open. I'll tell you when you can close them.'

What are you doing? And why can you hear my thoughts?

'I'm in your head right now, Cae.'

In my head? Just then, I remembered that I had to breathe again. I took an easier breath in as the weight seemed to decrease just a little bit.

I felt Leo sifting through my memories, knew that he was seeing all of the times I cried myself to sleep over the deaths of my brothers, that he was seeing how easily I would just break down and shut the world out.

'You're strong, Cae. Don't ever doubt that you are.'

I didn't respond to his words, but took another breath in. As I exhaled, I felt the presence of Leo leave my mind, and the weight lifted. I instantly slumped down, not able to hold myself up any longer. Leo caught me, and then pushed me up against the headrest of the bed so I could sit up easier.

"Good job, Cae." He said as he stood up. "You can sleep now; I'll wake you up if anything happens.

"So, what did you find?" Dimitri asked, his voice low.

Leo gently shut the door to Cae's room behind him. "I found many things that I don't think I'll be able to un-see."

Dimitri's face turned somber. "I feel kind of sorry for the kid, I mean, I can't imagine what I would do if I lost Lil, let alone two family members."

Leo nodded, his heart twisting for the young Scyon. "Yes, I know."

"Poor Cae…" Ciella said, looking at the door with sad eyes.

Lilithe looked down, hiding her face from Leo so he couldn't see her expression. "What did you find about his talent?"

"I found that his mind won't let me see what his talent is. We'll just have to find out through training."

Dimitri nodded. "Right, of course. Just like Dominik and Isaac."

"Mind block…" Lilithe thought to herself. "But… We still don't know what Dominik's or Isaac's talents were, then how are we going to find out Cae's?"

Leo sighed. His head throbbed from trying to read Cae's thoughts when they were all so locked up. He was tired, confused, and hungry. He just wanted to give up and sleep. To leave his problems until the next day, but he knew he couldn't. He was the Dimension Angels' leader, their 'alpha male'. He couldn't give in to exhaustion, he had to keep going.

"Leo…" Ciella stepped up to him, her lips by his ear. "You should get some rest; you can't possibly be in top shape after today."

Leo nodded, relieved at having an excuse to relax and let his mind run free. Cae was still unaware of who exactly his brothers were, and he had the feeling that that would change, and soon.

"So, how'd you know that Cae was here?"

"I heard from Jade, and I came to see for myself. Don't worry; I just want to talk to him. I couldn't beat any of you guys in a fight."

Is that Erik? I thought as the voices drifted to me from the hall.

"Yes, we know that."

The door to my room opened and three people stepped inside. Leo and Lilithe stood in the doorway, blocking my sight from whoever was behind them.

"Cae, you're awake?" Leo asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Leo didn't reply but stepped aside and let the person behind him walk up to me.

"Erik!"

"Hey."

Erik sat on the edge of my bed, not looking at me.

"We'll leave you alone." Lilithe said as she pulled Leo out the door.

Erik and I sat in a silence that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

I couldn't stand the hanging silence any longer. "How'd you find me?"

Erik still didn't look up. "Jade told me you were taken by the Angels."

"How do you know where the Angels are? Don't they, I don't know, not give their location out to random people?"

"I'm not a 'random people'."

"Then what are you?"

Erik didn't answer at first. His eyes flicked to the window. "Have you ever noticed how much Jade and I look alike?"

"Well, you're twins, right?"

"Same brown hair, same brown eyes…" Erik seemed lost in thought.

Then it clicked.

I had always thought it was odd how much they truly looked alike, but I had never really questioned it. "Are you…"

Erik nodded.

"Then why don't you live with the others?"

"Because we betrayed the Dimension Master. Jade and I, we took you away from everything, hoping that you wouldn't find out about the Scyon. We made your brothers' plane crash…"

I was speechless. Erik and Jade made the plane crash!?

"Cae, the only reason we did that is because your brothers-"

"That's enough."

We both looked up to see Dimitri looming in the doorway. "Erik, you've already said too much. Leave."

Erik started to say something, but Dimitri cut him off, glaring at him with hostility matched only by the devil himself. "NOW."

Erik looked down and began to walk out the door. "Cae, I-"

"Goodbye, Erik." Dimitri said, pushing him out the door. He looked back at me one more time before he left the room, leaving me with questions unanswered.

"Cae…?"

I didn't answer.

"Cae, come on."

Ciella was sitting in front of me, trying to get me to talk to her.

"Cae, I'm worried about you."

I turned my head, starting to stand up. She reached out to grab my arm, but Leo stopped her.

"Ciel, not right now. Cae," he said, turning his level gaze to me, "I need to talk to you."

I followed him, my movements robotic.

We walked out three doors and outside. This was the first time I'd seen the landscape of the Angel Dimension. The Angel Dimension was the second highest level for the Dimensions. The Dimensions open to Scyon as they increase their powers are Dimensions 1-100. If you receive a special award, or if you do something really bad, you get sent to the Angel Dimension. The only Dimension higher than that is Dimension Zero, the Dimension of the Scyon legacy and the Dimension Master. Dimension Zero is open only to the high Angel, which in this case would be Leo.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by the scenery of the Angel Dimension. The house we had emerged from was sat on the bank of a shimmering lake with a small wooden walkway outlining it. The far side of the lake was bordered by a large beachwood forest. There was a small cave lined by vines with little white blossoms and willow trees, their branches sweeping the surface of the water.

My gawking was interrupted by Leo's voice. "You're probably wondering how much longer you'll be here."

I didn't answer.

"As you probably know by now, you aren't a normal Scyon child. Neither were your brothers."

"What do they have to do with it?"

"Have you heard of the Ex- Scyon?"

"They were the Dimension Master's siblings, right?"

"Yes, and they betrayed him. They were thrown out of Dimension Zero and forced to live and die as normal humans. They weren't allowed usage of their powers."

"Why are you telling me this? What do I have to do with the Ex-Scyon?"

"You still don't know who the Ex- Scyon are, do you?" Leo turned to me, his gaze seeming to look straight through me.

I shook my head. "No, no I don't. But who does, anyway? Didn't they die a long time ago?"

"Do you know exactly when they died?"

The world froze. The Ex- Scyon died four years ago. Four years ago, my brothers' plane crashed. "No… It can't… But I don't-"

"Cae. Do you see now?"

"But the Ex-Scyon are the Dimension Master's brothers, how can they be-"

"Because the Master family had four children. Three boys, and one girl."

That got my attention. "The Dimension Master is a girl!?"

Leo nodded sadly. "Yes, and I'm very sorry we didn't tell you before."

"We?"

"Yes, Arel- er, the Dimension Master and I. As you probably know, I am the high Angel allowed passage to Dimension Zero."

"Yes, but I still don't quite see what this has to do with me. Even if I am related to them, I'm not even half as powerful as any of them, and didn't learn about the Scyon until one year ago, and I still don't know what my talent is. I don't want to be involved in this! All I want is to be a normal person! I just-"

Leo slammed his hands down on my shoulders, his fingernails digging into my skin. "Cae! You are the fourth heir of the Dimension family! You don't seem to understand how important you really are to the survival of the Scyon!"

Leo's sudden outburst caught me off guard. I backed away from him.

"Leo."

I turned to see Dimitri walking up to us from the house. He seemed different, almost, fatherly.

"Stop yelling at the kid. I get he's important, but if you scare him off, he'll never cooperate with us." His voice was level, almost emotionless. His eyes were blank and his mouth was set in a straight line.

Leo looked away. "I need to take him to Dimension Zero."

"What!?"

"Cae, he's right." Dimitri said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We all need to go. Including Jade and Erik."

Leo reacted this time. "Why would we bring the Fallen Angels to Dimension Zero!? They betrayed the Dimension Master!"

Dimitri's gaze became murderous. He spoke in a low, deadly voice, his face just inches away from Leo's. "Because Jade still has business with the Dimension Master. Once the high Angel, always the high Angel."

Leo glared right back at Dimitri. "Jade is no longer the higher power here, I am."

Ciella and Lilithe suddenly appeared by my side. "Leo! Stop! We're all going! Why can't you just accept that!?"

Leo turned in surprise. "Ciel…"

I decided to speak up. "Um, but, do I get any say in this?"

They all turned to me. Four very different expressions. Leo angry, Dimitri annoyed, Ciella pitying, and Lilithe almost uncaring.

"Cae…"

"Leo, can I talk to you for a moment?" Lilithe asked, her face still expressionless.

Leo sighed and followed her out of our hearing range. They returned about five minutes later.

"We're all going." Lilithe said, her face still blank.

"So, um, where's the portal?" I asked as we made our way through the sandy floors of a beachwood grove.

"Right up there." Ciella said, pointing to a small ray of light shining in between two silver branches.

"After you." Dimitri said, gesturing to the luminous dot of light.

I bent down, placing my hand over the light. I saw it disappear, closed my eyes, and waited.

Roses. Orange, lilac, lavender. Water, dirt, pine. Apples and peaches.

All of these scents floated to me on a slight breeze as I opened my eyes to Dimension Zero.

I stood on a shining white marble floor bordered by fruit bearing trees and bushes. A large glimmering fountain stood right in front of me, and behind it was a large white house with two golden angel statues guarding its gates.

"I haven't been here in forever…" Leo said, his voice nostalgic.

"So this is what Dimension Zero looks like. Fancy." Lilithe still seemed as if she didn't really care.

"Cae, come on. It's over here." Leo said, pushing my shoulder lightly in the direction of the large gates and statues.

"Wait, what about Jade and Erik?" Ciella asked.

Dimitri answered her question, his voice flat and uncaring. "They're already here. Inside."

We all stopped in front of the statues. Leo placed his hand on the base of one of them, whispering something I couldn't hear. The gates groaned and opened.

"Leo. I've been expecting you."

I flipped my head around, trying to find the speaker. The voice seemed originate from nowhere.

Leo nodded. "Yes, Arella. I have brought your brother."

"Please, come in. I have been so anxious to meet you."

Leo pushed a huge white door open with a small grunt of effort. "Go on in."

I stepped inside the large room. The floor was the same white marble as outside, small golden lights glowing in the matching walls. Two huge marble staircases wound up the sides of the room, and a ginormous tree shot up from the middle of the room, its trunk bound by vines. There were two small rivers of clear water running through the rooms, dripping down from the walls.

But the thing that caught and held my attention was a small girl sitting on a low branch of the tree. Her long golden hair hung down past her hips and bright green eyes peered at me from long black lashes. Her full pink lips were spread into a smile, and her light blue dress fluttered as she swung her legs. While her beauty was indeed stunning, that wasn't what made me gasp in shock. She looked exactly like me.

"Ah, my brother…" She sighed, leaping down and landing lightly on the balls of her feet. I noticed that she had large, pure white wings on her back, about six feet on each side. "I have been waiting for you for so long."

I didn't know what to say, the Dimension Master was here in front of me, calling me her brother.

Leo elbowed me in the side. "Tell her your name." he whispered.

"Oh, um… I'm Cae Ross…"

Her face lit up. "Cae… Cae Ross, I'm so glad to meet you." She embraced me softly, her hair tickling my cheek. "My name is Arella."

"Arella?"

"Yes, it's Hebrew. It means 'messenger of the angels'."

"Oh, that… Seems appropriate."

She stepped back, laughing quietly. "And Leo," she said, turning to him. "Who are all of these people?"

Leo looked over his shoulder. "The other angels. My sister, Ciella, and then Lilithe and Dimitri."

Arella seemed surprised. "Where are the other two? Sun and moon, were they?"

Leo stiffened. "The Fallen Angels. I was aware they were already here."

"We are." A new voice spoke, and I saw two shapes emerge from behind the tree.

I glared at them, remembering Erik's story of how they killed my brothers.

Neither of them looked my way. Erik took a step forward, but was stopped by Arella.

"Stop there, Erik. You think that you can just come into my domain again? You were never the high Angel, and you are still an outcast. A traitor. What are you doing here?"

Jade spoke, her voice shaky. "We came because of Cae. We… We wanted to see him again, and we wanted to apologize."

Arella shook with fury. "Your being alive is holding back the progression of all Scyon! As long as you still live, we cannot replace you with new angels!"

Jade shrank away from her outburst, and Erik put a hand on her shoulder. "Jade was the high Angel, she still-"

"Still what, Erik!? What does she have!? She betrayed us! She has nothing! Neither do you! You broke the law, and you were punished. Just accept that fact and leave the Scyon alone, including Cae!" I turned to see Dimitri's hands balled up in fists, Ciella holding him back from flying at Erik. "You don't deserve the name of Angel, either of you!"

Jade stepped up. "What we did was for the good of all-"

Dimitri was shaking with rage, his blood-red eyes burning through Jade and Erik. "But it wasn't your choice! It wasn't up to you to decide to punish Cae's brothers! You don't even deserve to be alive! You don't-"

"STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!"

Everyone seemed surprised the level of my anger, even me. "I don't care what you think Dimitri, even if Dominik and Isaac were the Ex-Scyon! They were still my brothers, and Jade and Erik still killed them, but do you even know why? They did it to save me! No matter how idiotic that must seem, I understand that they wanted me out of the Scyon world! No one could handle being thrown into the position that I would have had to deal with like that, after growing up like a normal boy for the majority of my life!"

Jade's face softened. "Cae…"

"And you," I said, turning my anger on Jade. "Why didn't you tell me!? On what planet is it okay to murder someone's brothers just so that you can feel better about taking care of me!? And the fact that you're a Fallen Angel! Do you know what you're doing to me!? You're tearing me apart!" My vision blurred, tears of anger beginning to roll down my cheeks. "Did you really think that was okay?" My voice was quieter, still angry, but also betrayed. I let all of my hatred and sadness fill that question, enough to break even Lilithe.

"Cae, do you even know what Dominik and Isaac did to get kicked out of the Scyon Dimensions?" She asked, her voice showing more emotion then I ever thought possible for her.

I shook my head, too emotional to speak.

Arella sighed, her wings drooping. "I see. Cae, come here."

"Why?"

"I'm going to show you the past."

"Why are you insisting on this? Dominik, you could do so much more, why this? Why now?"

"Arella, this is something I have to do. Isaac already agreed. The Scyon is a race too dangerous to be allowed to live any longer. If we kill our father, the legacy will stop. We'll go out and end the lives of as many Scyon as we can, we'll shut down Dimensions, we've already cut the portals to five of them. Without the Dimensions, the Scyon can't live."

"Dominik, please, think about this. Your brother is out there, unaware of all of this! And why is that, because you thought it too dangerous! He deserves to know, don't do this!"

Arella grabbed the collar of Dominik's shirt, pleading to him with tears in her eyes. "Please…"

Dominik shoved her off of him, making his sister fall to the ground. A cruel smile spread across his face. "You don't want to get yourself into this, sister."

"Dominik!"

"Goodbye, Arella."

"NO!" She couldn't let him do this to himself. She had to stop him… "By the power of our father, I hereby strip you and Isaac of your Scyon powers! You are not to return to the Dimensions!" Arella felt lightheaded, but she pushed on, using every ounce of power she could muster.

"Arella, do you know what you're doing!? Stop this, at once!"

"No, Dominik! You don't deserve a power you don't want! So I'll take it from you!"

Dominik's eyes widened and he dropped to the floor, writhing in pain. His entire body began to glow, and his pitch-black feathers started to fall off, with every one, the pain intensifying. His mouth was open in a silent scream, his face wet with tears. Arella couldn't watch any longer. With the last bit of strength she could find, she opened a portal and sent the two brothers somewhere in the human world.

I gasped, breaking free from the horrible scene. My eyes were wet, and I was lying on the ground, my head in Arella's lap. My mind replayed that scene over and over, seeing my brother's face frozen in agony.

Arella helped me sit up. "Do you understand now?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Good."

I looked up to see Dimitri still glaring at Erik and Jade, who were staring at each other with concerned faces.

My anger returned. I stood, stalking over to Jade. I still didn't trust my voice to be level, but I didn't care. "Why," I demanded, my voice murderously low. "Why did you decide it was your choice to end the lives of two men who were no longer threats? They had already been punished, it wasn't your choice."

Erik tried to step in between us, but I shoved him back. I think he fell over, I didn't care.

"I thought of you as my sister, Jade. But no sister would ever kill her own brothers or hide something like this from them. Now I understand why you were thrown out of the Dimensions, and why you don't deserve the title of Scyon."

"Cae…"

"No, Jade. No, you don't get to talk yourself out of this one. I want you gone. Out of my life, I never want to see you again."

"I agree with Cae. Erik, Jade, leave this place, and I will order the others to attack on sight if they see you in the Dimensions." Arella said, standing by my side. "Go, now."

"But-"

"NOW!" I yelled, cutting off whatever Jade was about to say.

She stepped back, tears in her eyes. Then, she ran out of the room, Erik on her heels.

I didn't turn around. I couldn't face the rest of them.

Just over a week ago, I had been eating breakfast with Jade and Erik, all three of us laughing together. Now, they were my worst enemies.

"Cae."

I didn't turn; I couldn't let my sister see my face.

"Cae, look at me."

I squeezed my eyes shut, and slowly spun around to face her, my head bowed so she couldn't see my expression.

Her soft hand cupped my chin and lifted my head up. "Cae, you are a Dimension Master. Along with me, we could be the prince and princess. Brother and sister, watching over the Dimensions together."

"But I-"

Ciella spoke up now. "What about his wings?"

Arella's eyes widened. "Oh, yes! You still don't have your wings, do you?"

I shook my head.

"That's because you don't know your talent. Here, Alexandria can take care of that."

I was surprised at how easily the mood just flipped. But, I guess that's because none of this really affected anyone but me.

"No!" Dimitri yelled, almost as a reflex. His hand flew to his mouth, muffling the apology he stuttered out.

"It's alright, Dimitri. I know about you and Alexandria. Don't worry, she has forgotten."

Dimitri turned his head, his face sad and pained.

"Who's Alexandria?" I asked, my voice still shaky, but at least I could talk.

"Alexandria is the only other person who lives here, she is my partner. Since you aren't usually here, she had to take your place."

"Did you call me?"

We all looked up to see a small girl poking her head out from the top of the tree. She had short red hair and deep blue eyes.

"Yes, my brother doesn't know his talent."

Alexandria smiled. "Of course!" She swung down from the branches, revealing a long golden tail and matching ears.

"Alexandria is a lion, by the way. She has a human form and an animal form. Courtesy of our father."

"Wow…" I sighed, watching in awe as Alexandria bounded down the tree, her leaps graceful and precise.

As she walked up to me, I noticed that her eyes weren't just blue, but blue and purple and green with gold flecks. Her eyes were mesmerizing, they were amazing.

Alexandria caught my eye. I looked away, blushing. She was probably used to people staring, but it still felt rude to look.

"Your name is Cae Ross, correct? You're Arella's brother?"

I nodded once. "Yes, apparently."

She smiled and held her hand out to me. "I'm Alexandria. It's nice to meet you."

I took her hand and shook it once.

I saw Dimitri step up to Arella, whispering something in her ear. At the same time, Alexandria's smile twitched, just off of what it had been. Arella nodded, and Dimitri stepped back. "Come with me," she spoke quietly. "these two need to talk with each other."

Dimitri stood, his eyes locked on the girl in front of him, his body strained with tension. The others left, and the room became deadly quiet. Alexandria turned, her eyes wet with tears. "You never tried to contact me… Never even sent a message through Leo… How could you do that to me…?"

Dimitri shook his head, aware that it was wrong of him to completely ignore her. But the truth was, he had been thinking of her every second of his life. At breakfast, when he trained, and as he fell asleep. Images of her perfect face haunted his dreams, leaving him tired and alone in the morning. "It was dangerous-"

Alexandria placed her hands on his face, warm and soft. "I don't care, I missed you so much!"

Dimitri sighed and covered her hands with his own, closing his eyes and letting himself feel only the touch of her hands in his. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered when he got his voice back.

His apology was cut off by Alexandria's lips on his. He knew that this was wrong, he couldn't put her in danger by being in love with her, but he couldn't help it. Giving up, he let himself kiss her back, entangling his fingers in her silky hair, pulling her even closer. It had been so long since he had kissed her…

Dimitri's eyes flashed open, and he pulled back, breaking the kiss. "No, we can't do this, I can't put you in danger again… Alex-"

Alexandria smiled, her eyes clouded and sad. "I talked to Arella, she said she would try to talk to her father, but she doesn't think he'll change his mind. But, we still have today, right?"

Dimitri thought over that. The only exception her father's rule was if Arella invited him into Dimension Zero and allowed them to be together, which she had done. He smiled, silently thanking Arella in his mind. "After you check for Cae's talent, we'll leave. Go somewhere alone, I promise."