The blue eyed male waited for the strike to come, but it never did. He instead got a punch to the side of his jaw, knocking him flat to the ground. His sword was kicked away and the clattering of Xena's soon followed.

"What use is a man if he can't even lift a sword?" She asked, moving onto one knee to kneel beside Xephos. His jaw was still aching. Her hands easily grasped Xephos' clothes, pulling him up slightly. "The answer is nothing. A sword is a weapon; a tool for survival. Without it you are as good as dead, especially against a person who can wield a sword." Another blow to his jaw left the ache growing more painful by the second. He didn't understand why she wasn't just killing him. Why was she just hurting him more and more without ending it?

"K-Kill me." Xephos growled, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. How did that happen? He brushed his tongue around his mouth, finding the source to be where he had been hit. It made the most sense. Xephos let the blood drip out, unable to move and not wanting to spit onto Xena. Even though she was betrayed him, he still had manners. Xena chuckled; she actually sounded amused. She leant close to Xephos' ear.

"That would be so easy, wouldn't it?" She murmured. Her voice tickled Xephos' ear, causing him to move away. "You then wouldn't have to worry about everything going on around you." She held his head in her hand, making their gazes meet. Her hand held Xephos' jaw, pressing hard - accidentally or not - on the wounded area. "The rebellion, your brother, me...everything would just disappear."

"Yes." He gasped. Xena's expression showed confusion for a split second before moving back to it's emotionless state. She hadn't realised he would give up so easily. It was disappointing. "Everything would..." He stopped, hesitating. Pain shot up his right arm, causing it to twitch. Xena stood, taking a few steps back from him. Xephos felt tired, not even bothering to try move. He hadn't even fully realised Xena had gone yet. His eyes began to close but a voice brought them wide open again.

Kill her.

"...?" Xephos blinked, taking in the surroundings. Everything was the same, so whose voice could that had been? It was definitely female...or it sounded it. The only girl he knew was there that he could hear so clearly would be Xena, and it wasn't her voice...

She's distracted. Now is your chance.

There it was again. Xephos decided he must be going crazy, slowly sitting up. He held his palm firmly against his forehead, pressing hard to try and get the headache to go away. At least this was a little break from the fighting which was something he needed right now. Sounds were muffled; the only feeling that was sharp and clear was the throbbing in his forehead. The never-ending headache, it seemed.

I find it rude not to speak when spoken to.

"Who are you?" Xephos hissed quietly, his narrowed eyes darting around. He wasn't in the best of moods as that pounding headache refused to go away.

You can call me Mother. The girl did.

"Girl...?" Using what little strength he had, Xephos forced himself to stand. His body swayed heavily, but he managed to stay standing.

Though I must say I am surprised. I thought I would die in that girl. Somehow...I'm now with you. Interesting, no? How did I end up here?

It was a valid question; one Xephos didn't know the answer to. Not right away, at least. There was only a certain number of ways of how it could have happened. Contact, of some kind. Contact... Xephos' mind walked through the events that had happened. The girl...that must be Nano. So, contact with her... it suddenly hit Xephos. His glove was torn...

"The taint..."

Flux, if you don't mind. Taint sounds so...horrible.

"When I touched the taintacle..." Xephos pressed his hand firmly over his right eye, which was beginning to sting like he had gotten water in it. The stinging sensation was like needles, happening in quick and small movements which still had a lot of pain.

Come come now. Stop wasting time and KILL THEM!

Sorry, but this one is spoken for. No ordering him around.

Now there was a second voice. Xephos was sure he must be mad; first hearing the taint – or flux – talking to him, and now this second 'person'. Though, their voice was a lot more...annoying than the voice of 'Mother'. It was quite high pitched, yet Xephos knew it was a guy. It was almost like whining. It was a little incoherent due to this. Whilst Xephos was thinking, he realised both the voices had vanished. The headache was gone and his eye wasn't stinging anymore. He felt...fine.

"End it now, Xena!" The King practically roared at the girl. Xephos saw the look of fear in her eyes before she shook her head and returned to her expressionless face. She lunged towards Xephos with her spear. The tip met with a barrier of blue, the same colour as Xephos' glowing eyes, blocking it completely ad keeping the male from harm. "What?!" The King growled, shooting up from his throne at the sight. Xephos heard Smith gasp from behind him.

"This..." The mage whispered, his expression showing clear awe. "It's the Guardian!" He concluded. Trott's eyes widened and Ross recoiled into his throne. Xephos turned to Smith, a look of confusion expressed in his features. "The Guardian is in you, protecting you." He had never heard of this 'Guardian' before, not even in stories...not that he had read many.

"Who?"

"The Guardian: An ancient ethereal being that is said to watch over the line of Mages that serve the King most closely." Trottimus explained. "But...why is he with YOU? Surely he should be with Smith?" He glanced at his green friend.

"I think I have an idea." Smith replied. "A while ago...I stopped having nightmares." His gaze landed on Xephos. "Right after he touched me with those magical hands of his. So...I have the theory that he has the Guardian in him from when he touched me." Xephos put a hand behind his head, trying to wrap his mind around what was happening.

"Why would having nightmares link to this Guardian?" He questioned. If this Guardian was supposed to protect him, why was he having these nightmares?

"Well, I mentioned before: I'm cursed." The green man started. "This curse included my green skin but also the nightmares as well. I suppose it's ironic? Having nightmares about the thing you love." He let out a chuckle. "That's one of the reasons why the Guardian was chosen to protect us."

"Chosen?" Xephos asked. How could someone, especially some higher up being or whatever, be chosen?

"Um, excuse me, but you're supposed to be DYING RIGHT NOW!" The impatient and angry voice of Ross shouted from across the room. In the midst of all this new information, the three had forgotten why they were actually there. Xephos held his diamond sword in his hand, seeing the glowing blue of his eyes glinting in it's reflective surface. Blinking, he noticed something else in the reflection; a symbol in his right eye. Had that been there before? He had always avoided his eyes, as they felt like a curse to him, so maybe it had...

"Xephos!" The shout came just at the right time, as the male ducked out of the way of the spear swinging where he would have been. Xephos rolled to the side, his hand tight around the sword. He dashed forward, tripping Xena so she was flat on her back. He stood above her, his sword clashing with hers as she parried his attack. The two wrestled with their swords, which seemed to clash an endless number of times. After a few scrapes and cuts, the battle halted at Xena pinned to the ground by Xephos; a reverse of what was previously happening. The two said nothing, merely panting as they watched each other. They waited for the other to make a move, but neither did.

"I don't want to kill you." Xephos murmured. "I want to save the King, not kill him, too." He explained. "You can still be loyal, but you have to help me. This is not the King you want to be loyal to." His gaze flicked up to the King, who definitely looked anxious. "Xena..." Xephos looked down at the girl. "You're young. Too young for this." He sighed.

"You're only a little bit older." Xena muttered, turning her head away. Xephos couldn't help but smile. This was the teenager he expected, not some warrior.

"I know. But I'm classed as an adult." He winked, bringing a little giggle from the girl. "Now, come on." He stood up, holding his hand out for her. Xena grasped his hand gently, standing up with his help. "Keep back for now, alright? I need to handle my brother alone." Xephos ushered Xena over to Smith and Trott, before turning back to his brother. As he walked closer, he saw the crazed look in his brother's eyes. "So...you really have lost it?" Xephos sighed. Ross stood up, a sacrificial knife glinting in his hand.

"L-Lost it?" He chuckled, almost nervously. "No...I-I have gained s-so much..." He took out a blood orb, which had various shades of red swirling inside. "They were so k-kind for donating their blood to their K-King."

"Donating?!" Xephos growled. "You bastard. They weren't donating anything; you took their lives from them in your insanity!" He shouted. The King laughed, pressing his palm firmly against his left eye. Xephos tightened his grip around his sword. Blood trickled out from said palm, leaving trails down his cheek. "What...are you doing?" He murmured.

"This...it n-needs my blood too. Well...n-not mine." The King let his hand drop to his side. Left behind was a red ring of blood around his now blood-shot eye and the trails down his face. A symbol, similar to Xephos', was clear in it and the faintest red glow accompanied it.

Brother...

'Brother?' Xephos thought to himself. 'What do you mean?' He watched Ross for a few more moments before it hit him. 'He's got a being like you inside him?!' It would surely explain everything! He didn't know what he was doing, at least not fully. It made sense; the symbol probably represented the being inside of him, like how Xephos had one, and it even looked like it was glowing. That and the way he was acting wasn't like how he should be.

Yes, he has.

Xephos was going to continue pondering when a sword swung close to his face. He stumbled back, watching his brother handle the sword carelessly. 'Is he going to hurt me first or himself?' He shook his head. Ducking out of the way of the next swing, Xephos swept his leg under his brother, bringing him to the ground. The orb rolled out of Ross' hand, stopping next to Xephos. The male picked it up, and pain surged in his head. He brought his hand up that held the orb.

Wait, Xephos...

Before the Guardian could finish, Xephos' arm swung down and the orb shattered into pieces. The pain didn't stop, but it faded slightly. The room grew cold and dark, like the life was being taken out of it.

"Hmm...A little premature, but I can deal with that." A red-shadowy figure had formed from the blood and magic of the orb. His – Xephos presumed from his voice – arms were folded in front of him, his head tilted slightly as he got used to his body. "Ah...finally. Now I can really begin."