I apologise for not updating in a while! My laptop went through some issues and I only just got it back from the repair shop. So now the chapters will be uploaded frequently! :)

Enjoy!

After Kinos was taken away, Jucleas apologised sincerely for almost having me executed, then he sent me and Elia back to the Outer Dock with escorts.

The walk through Sanctum didn't feel so daunting this time, but now it was beginning to lose it's charm. I really hope all Daevas aren't like this. The more I'm here, the more I feel I want to take my chances in Asmodae and look for Kimingleva, whether she wanted to see me again or not.

Elia didn't look like she was up to talking, so I didn't push her. Annoying the person who saved your life wasn't the way to go on this planet.

The guards took me and Elia to the boat which luckily had just pulled up. The guards gestured for us to get on and they stayed there until the boat set off and they were shrouded in the mist.

The boat ride to the Dock was silent too. I considered leaving and finding a way to Asmodae myself, but with no way to go through the rifts, that was nearly impossible. Plus I couldn't leave Elia. She had just disowned her brother and once Kinos was released - or not… I had no idea how the justice system worked here - she would need someone to be by her side.

Once the boat arrived at the Dock, Elia and I got out and I followed her into the Tavern and into the bedroom which was emptier than mine; my temporary bedroom had sheets everywhere and a couple of pillows. Elia's bedroom had only a few sheets and a pillow. She also didn't keep much in the way of personal possessions.

Elia sat down on her bed and stared at the floor. I decided I had to say something. "So… uh, I never thanked you for saving me."

Elia looked up and smiled. "It's nothing really. You're innocent and Kinos had a plan for you from the beginning." She sighed. "I just don't know what to do now. Kinos isn't my brother anymore and I can only stay here if I have a relative who's a Daeva."

"But wait. Kinos is still your brother, even though you've disowned him." I didn't understand. You couldn't stop being siblings just because you say so.

"I… Have something to tell you. I've never told anyone else." Elia looked out of the bedroom and beckoned me to come closer. I sat down in front of her. "I'm not his sister." She said, quietly.

"You're adopted?"

"Um… Possibly. Kinos' mother found me when I was young and brought me in. When Kinos ascended, he wanted to bring me with him, so he told everyone that I was his sister."

"And they just believed him?" I was surprised they would just believe something like that. But then again, the High Priest of Sanctum was convinced I was an Asmodian with face paint and a bit of magic, so I guess they would believe anything.

"Apart from Icaronix, Elyos don't lie… Much. So yeah, Jucleas believed him and allowed me to live in Sanctum with all the other humans. But now, I disowned him, Kinos might just say I'm not his sister at all and I will be cast out and have to fend for myself."

"I thought Elysea was safer than Asmodae?"

"Only by a very thin line. To be honest, sometimes it's as dangerous as Asmodae. We get the sun and the plentiful food, but that doesn't make the animals any more friendlier."

I guess she had a point. Sanctum was only safe cos it was raised god knows how many miles

into the sky. I wanted to say my suggestion about finding Kimingleva, but I didn't know if she wanted to leave Sanctum.

"Are you okay?" Elia asked.

Okay, I had to tell her. It was just going to keep bugging me until I did. "When I was on Earth, before Kinos came through, I met this Asmodian. She's called Kimingleva."

"Oh, right." Elia fiddled with a thread that was coming off her sheets. I knew that look, but I could be wrong.

"If you're wondering if she likes me, no. She looked ready to kill me half the time and has the shortest temper I've ever seen."

Elia smiled. "Asmodians are like that, I hear. They never lose their temper around others of their kind, though. They're like the Elyos… with the physical differences."

"Yeah… So anyway, I was wondering if we could get to Asmodae through the rift and find her. Maybe she would help us." I intentionally left out the part of Kimingleva saying she never wants to see me again. I needed a change of scenery. How the humans here didn't go crazy from the boredom is beyond me.

Instead of the expected reaction of "No I need to stay here" or "Asmodae is dangerous" whatever, Elia lit up. "Yes! Your friend might not like me, but it beats getting thrown out of Sanctum. Plus I know how we can get through the rift!"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the enthusiasm Elia showed, she was about to go crazy from the boredom too.

Elia left the bedroom in a rush and came back a moment later with glowing green powder. "What's that?"

"Aether powder. It's extracted from vortexes in the sky and is used to make plants and craft things. Rifts only work for Daevas because they can withstand the aetheric wind. If we possibly take this power then there's a possibility we can go through the rift too."

"There's also the possibility of being killed while travelling through it."

"The benefits outweigh the risks, don't you think? A change of scenery, adventure and Find-The-Asmodian. It beats getting thrown off Sanctum or spending day after day cooped up in this dump."

I was about to say something, then re-thought. Thrown off Sanctum? Or thrown out? "Um… Thrown off or thrown out of Sanctum?"

"Possibly thrown off. I've basically been lying this whole time of having a Daeva brother, so I could live here. They won't appreciate that."

"You're not just saying this because you want me to come?" I had to be super sure, before I risked my life, possibly for the second(?) time.

"I've been here longer than two days. I know what happens to liars."

With my mind made up, I shrugged. "Fine. How do I use it?"

Elia's smile was the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life. It made it seem wrong to argue with her, when she wanted to leave so badly. "You eat it, or you cut your wrist and put it in that way. The aether should theoretically fuse with your body and soul."

I instantly chose the first option. I'm sure becoming temporarily super-human didn't include speedy healing.

Elia gave me a small handful of the power. It felt warm and the glow was very… Entrancing. Luckily it didn't suck me in completely in, as I took a breath and was about to put it in my mouth when Elia said, "No, no, no, no!"

"What?"

"I just realised the powder might get destroyed in the stomach. It has to go in through your blood."

"It's freaking magic! How will it get destroyed by the acid? Won't it get absorbed or something?" I'm sure she just wanted to see me cut my wrist.

"You don't know that! It's better to be safe than dead, right? You don't want to get torn apart by the winds, do you?"

The way she put it, made it sound like the worse way to die. "On Earth, cutting your wrists mean suicide."

"Suicide?" Elia asked, very confused.

I sighed. "It means you want to kill yourself."

"Oh! No, no! You're not on Earth. It's only a tiny cut, I've done it before." Elia said.

"Wait, what?!"

"I tried to leave here before but Kinos caught me before I could use the powder." Elia sighed and shrugged. "I have a scroll that can take us to the region called Eltnen. Rifts appear regularly there."

I must have still looked unsure, as Elia took my hand, which surprised me. "The guards could be coming at any moment."

After a few seconds more of thinking, I sighed and decided to put my life in Elias hands. "Fine."