Rynu knew where Pheona was… since she had been getting near the end of her studies, she had decided to re-build Avalon to exactly how it was. He knew she already had a few creatures there- but not many.
How could he make his cousin hate him? The thought was hard to fathom. Pheona had been there for him since they were small children… the thought of making her angry enough to hate him like that made him shudder.
Upsetting a fire magi like that was probably not the best idea- but it had to be done.
"Pheona?" Rynu looked through the forest, noticing the charred trees around the edge of the clearing. The place had regrown in the years since the fire, the forest reclaiming what had been lost.
Rynu stared at the spot he remembered Vitali died in, then the scorched ground where Raoul's body had been. How could Pheona think to live where her parents had died?
He would never understand how women felt.
He looked over to see Pheona leaning against a tree, her brow shining with sweat as she held a shovel in her hand. He hoisted his backpack higher on his shoulder and walked over, hardening his expression as she looked up and smiled.
"Hey Rynu, why so glum?" She tilted her head curiously at his dark glare.
"I need an enox." Rynu growled angrily. "It's important."
Pheona blinked in confusion. "I only have one, though- and he's helping me get rid of the dark magic that's all over the ground. Why are you so angry?"
"Just give it to me, Pheona!" Rynu yelled, hating himself for causing the sudden fear in her eyes.
"No, Rynu. I need to get rid of the dark magic, or the unicorns can't step on the ground. They want to help." Pheona yelled back, her red eyes filling with anger.
"Like I give a shit about the unicorns." Rynu hissed, glancing up to see the light and dark unicorns in the distance.
"You can't say that, they've done so much for us." Pheona gasped in shock. "Amalthea really cares for you, you know."
Rynu looked at the dark unicorn, then glanced away with pain. Her purple eyes were piercing- filling with sorrow at his words.
"I don't care what they've done. " He insisted, looking back to Pheona's angry expression. He heard a snort of disgust from one of the unicorns, the light unicorn leading the dark unicorn away as she hung her head sadly.
He knew he couldn't lie to her- she would come looking for him, and he knew she would insist on him coming back. Damn her compassion, it would drive him mad. "I'm going back to the Brotherhood."
Pheona stared at him, her eyes widening in horror. "What? Why?"
"They seem to understand the idea of magic better than anyone else. I'll become stronger, and I'll finally be able to be as good as you."
Pheona gritted her teeth. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous of me because I went to The Keep to train, and they wouldn't let you?" She glared at him angrily, then gasped. "What did you say to Con?"
"I told him what I thought of him." Rynu growled back.
Pheona stared at him, trying to figure out what that meant before letting out an angry growl and shoving him away. "I cannot believe you! After all everyone has ever done for you, you just decide to shove them away like this? Just so you can have more magic and feel good about yourself?" She yelled, her voice echoing through the trees.
"You wouldn't understand. You never did. You may be my cousin, but that doesn't mean you know me at all." Rynu yelled right back. "Ever since you've been training all you've talked about is 'magic this' and 'study that'. I'm fucking sick of it! I'm going somewhere where they'll appreciate me and help me become what I want to be. Not what I am."
Pheona stared at him, pain filling her eyes as anger filled her. "Fine, then go! See if I give a shit about what you do!" She yelled, flames licking at her hands as she pointed to him angrily. "But if I see you so much as come near Conintor again I'll bake you alive. You probably hurt him a lot with that big damn mouth of yours." She hissed.
"See if I care." Rynu growled and turned away. He walked back through the forest as he heard Pheona mumble something behind his back. He tried not to flinch when the shovel in her hand burst into flames, the wood burning and the metal melting to a puddle on the grass.
"Damn it!" She yelled, kicking the cooling pool of metal across the clearing in anger.
Rynu set his bad down in the small room of the inn, glancing around at the dingy setting with dismay. He might as well get used to this kind of place, since he would probably stay here a lot until he found some sort of way to make more gold.
He let Medusa slither down his arm, looking down at her as she tilted her head curiously.
"I had to do it, Medusa. They can't follow me to the Brotherhood, and there wasn't any other way." Rynu sighed as he thought about how alone he was now. His parents were dead, his aunt and uncle were dead, and the only family he had left hated him now.
He sat down on the lumpy bed beside Medusa, putting his face in his hands as he tried to control the emotions trying to overtake him. It seemed that his fate was always to be alone. How had he ever believed there was any other way?
He looked up in surprise as the door slammed open, someone walking into the room. He met fury within cyan eyes and froze, staring for a minute at Marina as she fumed.
Damn she was getting pretty as she grew… but all those soft features were currently twisted in absolute anger at him.
"What did you do to Conintor?" She yelled, pointing in the direction Conintor's stables were.
"I'm going back to the Brotherhood, I told him what I felt." Rynu growled.
Marina stared at him and scoffed in disgust. "You told him you hated him? The man who has been your father for the last 8 years, and you hate him?"
"He's gay." Rynu said simply, but that only flared Marina's anger more.
"So what? He's your damn father Rynu, or as much of one as you're going to get. You've never said anything about hating the fact that he's gay. Why tell him now, just before you left? Are you that much of a coward?"
Rynu stared up at her, wishing he didn't have to do this… he had hoped to keep at least one person from his life who didn't despise him.
Oh well.
He stood, using his height as an intimidation to her, but couldn't help but be amused when all she did was stare up at him with the same angry expression. Leave it to Marina to stand in front of a large angry man and have no fear.
"I'm going back, and that's that. I'm not changing my mind." He said firmly, giving his best stern glare.
Marina stared up at him, her own eyes filling with pain. "So you're just leaving? Just like that? You weren't even going to say goodbye to me, were you?"
Rynu ignored the twisting in his stomach and glared. "No, I wasn't." He said simply, crossing his arms.
He couldn't help but falter as tears started to well up in her eyes as she gritted her teeth. "Fine. Be that way." She whispered, and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Rynu stared after her, flinching at the angry pain that ate at him. What had he done?
He felt some sort of emptiness inside him he had never felt before. He sat down as his chest clenched, emotions overflowing so that tears stung at his eyes. What was wrong with him?
Medusa looked up at him, forming the end of her tail into a heart.
"No… no, I can't…" Rynu stuttered, but knew she was right. Damn it, he had fallen in love.
Well… that wouldn't last long. He had a feeling that whatever happened while was in the Brotherhood, he would have to emotionally lock himself away.
He laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as his emotions roiled inside him. Apparently destroying your life could be achieved fairly quickly.
He let out a long sigh and put his arm over his face, smiling softly as Medusa slithered over to him and coiled up on his stomach. He rested his other hand on her cold scales and tried to get some sleep.