A/N: Don't worry. I'm not that cruel.

His body soon dropped to the floor. The faint panting was slowing, the rise and fall disappearing. Ross sealed up the wound, kicking the lifeless body across to Sjin. "Don't worry. I decided to keep him alive, for now." A smirk was plastered onto his lips. "He might just be a little...pale, for the rest of his life." He snickered.

"Asshole." Sjin growled, pulling Sips' unconscious form close. He began cleaning the blood from his body, being careful not to hurt him. Smith stood between the group and his friend, his eyes becoming emotionless. His eyes met his former friend and for a few moments there was silence. Only the panting and quiet murmurings of the farmer could be heard.

"Are you now standing up to me, Alex?" Ross asked, using his name mockingly. "I would like to see how your magic fares against mine." He blinked, putting his hands behind his back. The Mage said nothing, kneeling down beside Sips and Sjin. He gently parted Sips' lips, giving him a potion to drink. "I don't like being ignored." A growled came from the King. The Mage still said nothing, standing up after the potion had been finished. He slowly moved his gaze to his 'friend', twirling his wand around once.

"And I don't like being disrupted. Go and see Trott or whatever. I'm working on Xephos." He replied firmly. "You said you would allow me to work on him as long as I wanted to." He turned away, moving back to his research table. "Oh, and these can help me. I figured they'd be more useful like that, instead of locked up in a cage." Smith continued. "I doubt they'll be any trouble. I'll tell you if they are." He added. Ross folded his arms in front of his chest, the insane look in his eyes fading, returning to his emotionless state.

"...Tch. Soft." He muttered, but nevertheless he left. Lomadia didn't realise she had been holding her breath until she let out an exasperated sigh. She blinked when she heard a groan, turning to Xephos. Smith knelt down beside Lomadia, watching as his glowing eyes blinked open. Before anyone else could move, Lomadia's arms were wrapped around Xephos.

"I feel sick..." The raven-haired male groaned. He then proceeded to shove Lomadia out of the way before blood-stained vomit dripped onto the marble floor. Lomadia put her arms back around Xephos once he had finished, her face nuzzling into his neck.

"You're ok." She whispered. Xephos wiped his mouth before he smiled. He kissed her forehead gently, his hand absently running through her hair.

"If being tired and sick counts as ok, then I'm ok." He murmured. Xephos' gaze moved over to Smith as he picked up the vomit into a container. "...Seriously?" He asked. Smith shrugged, looking at the mixture.

"I want to know why you're vomiting blood. That's not normal." He pointed out. "That and I want to try something else." As he moved away, his place was instantly taken by the eager dwarf. He gave Xephos a dwarven hug, grinning happily at him. The three sat together, all in each other's embrace. Xephos' gaze glanced over at Sjin, happy for a second until he saw the pale figure in his lap. The male tried moving, but his stomach protested. It seemed if he moved too much, he'd have the possibility of being sick again. So, instead, he decided to just ask.

"What happened to Sips?"

"The King did this to him. Some kind of crazy magic thing he's learnt." Honeydew started. "What was it called...?"

"Blood Magic." Smith called from his worktable. "It's stupid. He's going to kill himself using it." He took over the conversation, not looking back at the group. "Blood Magic is basically explained in the name. It's magic that requires blood. Not necessarily your own, but it seems to work best with certain people's blood. Example: Ross. Apparently his blood is perfect. This means he'll just choose to use his own blood when using Blood Magic, instead of finding another person to take the blood from." He sighed, his head resting on his arms. "...I don't want to lose him." The last statement was quiet; so much so that the others didn't hear it.

"But...you don't have many Blood Magic books. I assumed you kept all the books on magic?" Xephos pointed out. His observations were aiding him. The Mage glanced back at the raven-haired male, a slight smile twitching at the edge of his lips.

"Smart. I keep MOST of the books. Trott has a few; I assume that's how he found out about Blood Magic. Mine had been 'missing' for a while anyway. Ross wouldn't allow me to get rid of them since it might help in the future. So instead I 'lost' them." He explained. Every now and again, Xephos would catch his gaze flickering over to Sips. What history did they hold together? His attention was brought back to the present as Smith continued. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Any better?"

"Y-Yeah. Sick and tired, but better than when I was out." Xephos replied. The Mage raised an eyebrow, questioning what he meant. "Well...I had this crazy dream. It was like some kind of apocalypse." He began. "I was the only one alive, that I found. I woke up before finding anyone else alive. There were...plenty dead." He cringed at the thought of those dead. They were so similar to his friends, every time he'd find them. Relief would flood his body when he realise they weren't his friends. However, they were still dead people, whether he knew them or not. "I would just wander in a dusty, abandoned landscape endlessly. The moon...stained red with blood." A hand clenched tighter around Xephos' hand, and his gaze moved over to Lomadia.

"Enough, Xephos. It was just a dream, a fantasy. Don't worry about it now." She hushed her boyfriend, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "You're back. That's all that matters. Now, we're going home." She stood up, helping Xephos to his feet with Honeydew's help. Sjin took Sips into his arms, not being phased by the weight of larger man. Smith glanced at the group, his thoughts split in two. Should he let them go, or try keeping him here? He wanted to know whether he could help Ross or not, but there wouldn't be any way that he'd stay here. No. There was another way. Quickly putting various things into a backpack, he stood in front of the doorway.

"M-Mind if I come along, too?" He asked. The three blinked. What? This wasn't what they were expecting at all. They expected him to be trying to stop them or something, not try and join them. "I...I mean, I need Xephos still, but you want to take him home, right?" He explained. "So...I kinda need to come with you." Smith added, a slight look of embarrassment on his face. More and more he was becoming a person again, not some monster he was created to be. Honeydew scoffed, turning away.

"Like we'd just take you to our home! What if you're secretly working against us?" He asked. Xephos thought for a moment, looking directly at the Mage.

"...Why don't we just blind fold him or something?" He suggested. "That way, he won't know where it is." He then remembered something. "Rythian! We could get Rythian to help!" Xephos glanced at the other three. This is when Sjin perked up.

"I know exactly where he is as well!" He smiled. The four nodded, glancing at Smith. He didn't seem to object the idea, though he did add in a passing comment about how he would probably end up dead if Rythian saw him. That seemed ignored, however, as the group continued on their way to the cells. As they walked, Lomadia's mind began to work.

"Wait, what if they go back to your room and see you gone?" She asked. Smith smirked.

"Set up some magic that'll most likely trick the two. If not, it'll at least buy time." He replied. He then looked at the others. "You can only take him, mind you. No taking others out; some did legitimate dangerous or evil things." The Mage explained. They just shrugged. There wasn't really anyone else they knew in the cells either way, so it's not like they'd choose between the others. Sjin quickly made his way to outside Rythian's cell, turning to Smith. Without words, Smith opened the lock. Sjin bundled Sips into the Mage's arms, surprising him, as the farmer moved over to Rythian.

"Huh...this is interesting." The prisoner growled, glaring coldly at the green man. "Why are you here, letting this happen, Mage?" He asked, helped to his feet by Sjin. The make-shift mask stayed around his face, hiding the horrors from the others. Smith said nothing, turning and walking away. "Huh, the silent approach. Interesting." Rythian glanced at Xephos, his gaze softening. "Xephos, you are ok, friend." He smiled, but the mask kept that secret. Xephos nodded. They decided to leave talking until later, instead focusing on getting out of the place.

The group all decided to go to Xephos and Honeydew's home, even if it wasn't exactly the largest. Rythian sent a telepathic message to Zoeya and Teep to let them know how he was, putting their minds at ease. Instead of going inside the house, they decided it would be better to just sit outside. It would have been too cramped inside. Smith had been tied to a chair by Rythian's magic, which still rivalled his own. He was placed with his back facing the house, watching the gazes all fall on him.

"Why are we letting him live?! He should be killed!" Rythian growled. He usually had a very calm demeanour, but if he was angered then nothing would stop him from getting his revenge...mostly. Sjin and Lalna knew that all too well. "What are we waiting for?" Xephos put his arm out in front of the angered male, his eyes trained onto their 'prisoner'.

"He said he needed me." He started. "Tell me why. Why do you need me? And don't give me some bullshit answer. The truth." He requested. Smith blinked once, shifting slightly in his chair. He had a few moments to think, before he explained his theory.

"Your blood is unique, very rare. That is what the 'anomaly' was." He began slowly, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to send him back into whatever fantasy land he had been in. "So, I've been testing out various experiments on your blood. It reacts in a specific way; a way only a certain type of blood does." Smith paused, his head lowering slightly. His gaze was aimed at the ground just in front of him, becoming hesitant at what he was going to say. "I...I've only seen this type of blood once before." He continued, his voice shaking slightly. His eyes flicked up to meet Xephos', seeing the pools of glowing blue staring right back at him. "It was when I was a child. My father, the previous Mage, had been experimenting similarly to how I experimented on your blood. However... the blood came from...the last King." Smith stopped again, nervously biting his lower lip; not quite hard enough to make it bleed, but enough to make it hurt and tingle afterwards. "The same...in Ross." He let the words sink in. He saw some confused looks on their faces, blinking once. "...Xephos, tell me...why did Ross take such a liking to you?" The subject seemed to change so dramatically, but it was still connected.

"H-How should I know?" He stuttered.

"Your eyes...both blue yet different shades...your hair similar raven-black...your skins both pale..." Smith leaned back gently in his chair, his gaze not breaking with Xephos'. "You have the same unique blood and you are so alike." He closed his eyes for a few moments.

"You're not...suggesting..." Honeydew started, but Smith cut him off.

"Where is your mother, Xephos? Your father?" He asked. Xephos blinked. He had no clue; he was abandoned at birth. "When Ross was born, he was not an only child. He had an older twin." Smith continued, becoming more confident as he spoke. "That twin was presumed dead, along with the mother in child birth. But...neither one of those statements are true." Eyes turned to face Xephos, who glanced down at his shaking hands.

"I...am the twin. My mother died...saving me." He whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "My brother-no, twin...is Ross."

A/N: My original original title of this fanfic was 'Tale of a Prince'. You can see how THAT would have been a MAJOR spoiler. But, yeah, PLOT TWIST. This was one of the first ideas I had in mind for this. It might have even been the very first that spawned this whole story. Can't quite remember. Anyways, trivia xD