Part 6: Bonds

(7 hours before the departure of Katherine-Maria from the Desert Ruins)

(Mephiles POV)

I awake, i remember everything. Dear Goddess, she is a miracle that Avira. Did you hear that? I said "Goddess"; I follow the Cathryn 1 Ferian Religion after all this time of being some sort of atheist bastard child. Oh no... I remember her name from before all this. Dear goddess, I think it is from the night her parents were killed. As one of the apprentices, Anavatoia (Alexis Vane) and i did field work with our master. Yes, i remember now. 6 years ago, our master killed Lady Oliva and Lord Xayn Celiade. I was told to hold their daughter... Which is Avira? Oh my Goddess, after these visions i know that the girl i am currently with, is the girl from that same night i was sealed away in that sceptre. Oh how could i be so... Oh wait; i had amnesia, my mistake. I can't tell her, she will, absolutely, fucking kill me! What do i... I know, Play it cool. Besides, she is the one girl that will tolerate anything I do at this point. I walk over to see she is still unconscious. I now notice that her eyes are separated. Creepy! She must be some sort of hybrid or something, I'll ask her later. I think she is waking up. Her eyes open and i am knelled beside her as she slowly awakes from a forced slumber.

"Good Morning, Avira. You had blacked out. That is just wonderful!" I sarcastically say

"You are still a bastard, don't you realise by now?" she replies

"Maybe. What can i do about it?" I ask the sleepy goddess.

"Mephiles, i have to do something to you that you won't like when I get the chance. When I do, if you still aren't behaving and if you are a mortal, non-demonic spirit, I'll kick you somewhere where the goddess will thank me for. First, however, we have to find the Pure Moon Sceptre. I only had gotten rid of barely any darkness and you don't even have a conscious, i don't think." she says with a fake smile.

"Your emotional spiral is really bumming me out. Honestly, you are just one of them pathetic..." I start to say before she shoots me with the Sceptre of Light.

I fall to the ground in somewhat pain. It really hurts when she shoots me with that thing. She is somewhat bumming my out, i wonder how a mortal goddess like herself be happy like that? Emotions are hard to understand as i have only two emotions practically, anger and seriousness. She has all sorts of emotions. Since i have a mouth, i can't even smile. I bet she'd be happy if i learnt to smile. She helps me up and we just stare. All i can see in those green eyes is sadness and loneliness, even though she has friends. I just can't help but feel pity.

(Avira POV)

When i stare in his eyes, I see betrayal, impurity, failure, emptiness and emotionless feelings. I understand what it is like to be saddened, but with him, he is like a street gangsta. He talks the talk and walks the walk, but he doesn't have a heart underneath all the stereotypical imaged bling, scars from street fights and utter disrespect for the law and very barely sensible speech. The heart and its emotions are suppressed underneath all the things a street gangsta is. His darkness is practically the reason i need him to change. If he doesn't change... I don't know what will happen. All i can say is that i need that Pure Moon Sceptre. Goddess forbids that i have no intensions of impurity conversion and any rage i might have against the empire. Time to get the map. I need him to follow so if he cares about surviving and turning good for the sake of everyone, he should follow (I hope).

"You have a choice, Follow me or die a slow and painful death at the hand of the goddess. What do you want? As long as the decision is at least fine with me." I kindly say with emphasis

As i pick up my sceptre and pick a Deliege (Ferian Desert Apple) and about to take a bite he places his hand on my sceptre. I turn my head as he is standing behind me, barely looking at me and holding my sceptre.

"I decided, Avira the Light. I will follow you... Only for my own common good, not because you told me to. Understand, Avira Celiade?" he says in a flat tone of voice.

"Good. Trust is key; i think you know well enough what trust really is. Do you?" I say in reply while fiddling with my Deliege.

"You are barely teaching me anything. Since when have taken on the role as my teacher?" he asks

"Actions speak louder than words. If you are as smart as they say, you should really be following my context. My actions are for you to understand what purity, trust, truth, faith, courage, and leadership is really about. Those are the 7 paths are about, Connor. I wish you had more intelligence, less sarcasm and utter stupidity. Choose your path wisely, i can tell the tests for which path you are most likely are capable for as a guardian will be hard. I'm wide awake to your insolent bullshit. Find a way to control the darkness consuming you. Especially, for when I'm done with you." I hastily comment towards his arrogance.

"May i ask you one question?" he asks me as I eat the fresh, red Deliege

"Go ahead" I reply

"Why do you have a gap between your eyes? I thought that you are a hedgehog?" he impolitely asks

I just shoot him with my sceptre and walk off. He follows, pestering m about my gapped eyes. As we approach the Desert Ruins i turn around and slap him. My rage from the most touchy question ever mentioned has finally caught up. As he sits on the ground in pain i stare angularly at him. I just silently go into the city and he catches up as i get to the temple. When i get to the top of the stairs i turn around and he stops in his tracks 10 stairs away from me.

"Do you know what? I'll tell you. Since my birth, i had this. This stupid, overly complicated to explain, annoying gap came from the goddess, alright. I am not a Calibre goddess, you know, a cat. I am a hedgehog thank you very much. This gap is because i am a light goddess hedgehog. There are you happy now? I answered your stupid question! You really have pissed me off now! Congratulations, Mephiles the Dark, i am so fucking pissed at you i want to kill you! Don't say another word until i simmer down, thank you!" I yell

As i enter the temple, he follows and we walk down the corridors practically separated. He is 8 steps behind me and is trying not to talk to me. As my head is filled with so much rage and not enough thoughts, the initial thought was to slam him on and off the walls. He starts again and i just try not to answer using words.

"Avira, I..." he starts

"Nup!" i answer

"Avira, will you" he starts again

"Nup!" i repetitively answer until he just shuts up again.

We walk into the scroll room, silently and i look through the scrolls. Mephiles is reading the inscriptions carved in the walls and i find the map. I end up tapping him on the shoulder and we leave. Back in the garden, i read the map carefully and analyse every detail. I hate having to open and reopen a map over and over again if we got hopelessly lost. The inscription reads no warping, travel by walking and following the sacred path to deem yourself pure enough just to wield the sceptre. I get some supplies and water and we set off walking through the scorching hot, orange coloured sandy desert.