The guardians and the rebels braced themselves as Phobos appeared at the other side of the portal. He was no longer wearing his princely robes. Instead, he was dressed in black pants, shirt, and boots, adorned with a matching long coat to serve as more flexible attire during battle. Jezebel, who had accompanied the guardians, felt her heart pounding against her chest as she saw Himerish hovering in a prison right besides Phobos.

"Attack," Phobos demanded idly.

The one word had hundreds of goons charging through the portal and into Kandrakar. The sound of metal clashing against each other rang in the air as the battle ensued.

Everyone remembered the plan, and fought a believable battle. Pretty soon, everyone was down, the goons in 'triumph.'

Phobos raised his eyebrow. "You really do soil the name 'Guardians of the Veil'," he taunted. He began to descend from the throne, taking small deliberate steps towards the portal.

Just a little more, Will thought in anticipation.

Everyone held their breaths for a split second as Phobos finally stepped through the portal, his feet on Kandrakar's ground. There was a moment of silence.

And then, Phobos raised a hand in the air, creating a dark cloud over Kandrakar. Thunder and lightning began to cover the once sunny skies of the world.

"This isn't possible!" Caleb cried out, turning to Will. "His powers should have been forfeited and the prisoners free. What happened?!"

Will felt beads of sweat trail down her forehead. What went wrong? "Phobos clearly broke his vow. What's going on?"

Hay Lin's eyes widened in realization. "Phobos vowed not to use the seal for himself… right?"

Will nodded. "That's right."

Hay Lin's face morphed into one of terror. "What if Phobos isn't trying to use the seal for himself?"

Before Will could respond, Phobos hovered over Hay Lin, landing softly in front of her. He kneeled besides her, sliding his finger under her chin to make her face him.

"Hay Lin…" he said silkily. "Remember when I said that learning the deadly truth is quite painful?"

Hay Lin gulped, staring at him in silence.

Phobos continued. "Well… I want you to feel that pain. Even if it means having to know my truth. I'm sending you on a little trip to my memories."

The ground beneath Hay Lin began to ripple, and Phobos grabbed Hay Lin's shoulders. He leaned closer to her. "Hay Lin… you're about to see just how real your dreams are."

Hay Lin cried out as Phobos abruptly pushed her deeper into the transparent ground beneath her. Then he let go, allowing the magic from the pool to pull her in on its own.

"Phobos, what are you doing?!" Hay Lin cried out. She gasped as she was finally sucked into the pool.

Himerish began to bang his fists against his prison. "Phobos… Stop this at once!"

Phobos cried out with laughter as thunder rumbled across Kandrakar. "JIri!" He cried out, throwing his hands in the air. "I did this all for you! I want to see you again! I want to see you again!"

Everyone's eyes widened. Jiri?

Jezebel and Himerish looked at Phobos in horror. They knew all too well what he was talking about.

"Phobos!" Jezebel screamed in agony. "What are you doing?! What are you trying to do?!"

Phobos glided over to Jezebel, grasping her hands abruptly. "Jezebel…. I'm going to bring back your precious sister."

Himerish clenched his fists. And then he let out a terrifying roar that shook the grounds of Kandrakar. "PHOBOS, I CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT!"

-xxx-

Hay Lin felt herself floating. Her eyes suddenly began to close as images of Phobos and the sounds of voices filled her head. "This is it…" Hay Lin began. "These are Phobos's memories!"

"Phobos!"

Thirteen year old Phobos emerged from a small closet, which was also known as his 'room', as he walked towards the young woman who called out to him. His eyes were blank. "Yes."

The woman laughed maniacally, cupping his youthful face into her hands. "You're beginning to look like him… more and more…. More and more…."

Suddenly, she slapped him across his face, sending the young boy to the ground. "Why?!" she cried out. "Why did Prince Zayden leave me?!"

Phobos sighed, rubbing his reddened cheek, refusing to say a word to that woman.

"He's getting married to the Light of Meridian now… Queen Weira. He can't do that! I need to be by his side! I have a child with him first." Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. Those electric blue eyes that matched the young, abused boy in front of her. "My cute little Phobos…" she began. "Even if I, your mother, was just a lowly prostitute…. He's still coming for me, right?"

Phobos turned away from her.

The woman slapped him again, and he answered. "Yes."

"Do you think I'm beautiful, still, Phobos?" she asked him. "Don't you think your mother is still beautiful? Beautiful enough for Prince Zayden?"

"Yes."

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. "Phobos! Thank you! You're such a good boy." She pulled her son into an embrace. "Now…" she whispered. "It's time to put food on the plate. Go sell that cute little body of yours to whoever will pay a good price."

Phobos just nodded, as he silently walked out the door of the small, run down cottage. He looked out to the beautiful castle of Meridian in the distance…. The place where his father would live. As the young boy walked, he focused his attention to the ground. Life was unfair, he thought. How could his father abandon him? How could he have such a wealthy father, when he was suffering in a rotting village in the outskirts of town, and forced to sell his body and submit to his lunatic mother?

The world is cruel, Phobos thought to himself. There's nothing here. It's ridiculous. All there is to do is go by through each day until you die. That was what would become of a bastard child in this sad life.

Phobos sighed, standing idly in the alleyway until a customer, man or woman, would approach him and invite him to their home. He was at least hoping the next customer would be a nobleman or woman passing through. They would pay him enough to feed both him and his mother… or else his mother would just hog everything he earned.

The street was dead quiet, but Phobos continued to stand there. Thunder began to sound, and soon enough, droplets of rain began to pour down on him. He just continued to stand there, regardless of the stinging cold of the rain. It was better this way. A customer would definitely take pity on him, and he'd definitely get some good money.

The rain continued to pour, but surprisingly, he no longer felt the rain falling onto his skin. He looked up to see a white umbrella propped above him. His eyes widened and he turned around.

"Gah!" he cried out, backing away into the rain.

A young girl around his age was smiling while holding the umbrella. "Hello!" she peeped.

For a moment, Phobos was entranced by her appearance, with her long, unruly strands of black hair and blood red eyes. There were no people he knew who had that eye color naturally, nor the long strands of hair and the bangs that hung over her eyes.

"That's the girl!" Hay Lin cried out. "That's the girl from my dreams!"

"Who the hell are you?!" he yelled out. He had no time to waste with a young girl. Unlike adults, she didn't have any money to offer him, even if she would be a much more favorable customer than those perverted adults.

The girl, who was only wearing a thin, black chemise, slammed her hand against her chest. "My name is Jiri!" She held out her name. "What's your name?"

"Phobos." He said. He didn't bother shaking her hand.

The girl grabbed his hand, shaking it furiously. "Nice to meet you, Phobos!" She extended her arms further, so the umbrella would once again shield him from the rain. "Let's go for a walk."

Phobos raised his eyebrow. Then his eyes narrowed in boredom. "No. I'm busy."

"But I'm fun company!"

"Not interested."

Jiri all of a sudden punched his shoulder, causing the boy to wince in pain. "Ow! What was that for? Are you crazy?"

"So you're finally showing some interest in me, huh?"

Phobos tilted his head in confusion. "What?"

"Since you're interested in me, let's go for a walk!" Jiri declared. She dragged him with her down the street and the boy began to whine.

"Can you let go of me?!"

"Phobos," Jiri began. "I'm really mad, you know that? Judal was supposed to take me out to look around Meridian, but he said he was too busy for me. So you know what I did?" She turned and winked at him. "I ran away! And I took some of his money. Let's have some fun while we can before he finds me. He's very creepy, you know."

"I don't understand anything you're saying."

Jiri pouted. "You need to keep up, Phobos! Has prostitution really gotten over your head?"

Phobos felt his cheeks flush red with embarrassment. "It's what I have to do."

"Do you want to do it?"

"I couldn't care less." He sighed. "I'm just giving my body. It will wither away at some point in life."

Jiri stopped suddenly, letting some of the rain run down her long strands of hair. "I'm not saying it's bad. If you're going to do it, at least be eager about it."

Phobos's eyes widened. She was talking about a dirty job so casually, when so many looked down upon it… looked down upon him.

"You simply gave up on living," Jiri stated. "You're just a living corpse."

Phobos's eyes widened. Then tears began to well up in his eyes. What was this feeling, he thought to himself. He felt a sensation in his stomach… inside of him. In such a long time of being numb and hollow, this girl had sudden struck a chord in him.

"I love this world," she began. "It's cruel, but it's the most beautiful thing I've laid eyes upon. Tragic, but beautiful. It's an addicting, bittersweet feeling to be born in this world. There's so much filth and danger... but beneath it lie wonders." She turned around. "You must think I'm creepy."

"Yeah…" he began. "I do…"

He felt his head starting to spin.

"Phobos?" Jiri questioned. "Is everything alright?"

The young boy collapsed in her arms.

-xxx-

Phobos's head was still spinning by the time he woke up. Where am I, he thought to himself. He realized the rain had finally stopped, and he tried to sit himself up. He felt his heart pound against his chest in anxiety as he heard a melodic tune being hummed beside him.

He nearly jumped out of his skin to see the girl still at his side. "Oh, you woke up!"

"What are you still doing here?"

Jiri raised a pot to his face. "Look! I bought you some food. You were probably hungry, so you passed out. But here. Eat!"

Before Phobos could respond, the red eyed girl had shoved a spoonful into his mouth.

"Is it good?"

He nodded slowly. Jiri allowed him to finish the rest of the contents of the pot, before pulling him up again.

"Hey, Phobos," she began.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were an Escanor?"

Phobos merely stared at the crest of the Escanor household that dangled on his wrists. "I'm not a real Escanor," he began. "My mom was a prostitute and I'm Prince Zayden's bastard son."

"Sure you're a real Escanor," Jiri told him, dropping the subject afterwards. "Hey! While you passed out, I saw a lot of cool things at the bazaar. Have you ever smelled cherry blossoms?"

"No."

"Let's go smell them!"

She began humming that tune again and dragged him out to the streets. Phobos followed her, staring at her for a moment as she started laughing.

And then he smiled.

The feeling of happiness, sadness, anger…. He felt all of it during the small amount of time he had with her. He was no longer hollow. He actually felt… alive. Yes, alive. And he loved every bit of it. And he loved to see her laugh. He loved to see her smile. Because when he saw her, he felt emotion.

The two stopped abruptly, when a group of young men blocked their path. One of them licked their lips.

"What a cute girl we have here…" one of them slurred. He grabbed her by the neck while his companions grabbed Phobos, beating the young boy to the ground. Phobos gasped. "Wait! Don't hurt her!"

He was on his stomach, with one of the men's foot on his head. The man kicked Phobos's face to the ground as their leader laid his eyes on Jiri. "You're a little young, but you will do."

"You're drunk," Jiri said. "And you're ugly."

"Filthy brat!" the man yelled. He beckoned to his men. "Undress her. I want to have fun with her first."

"Don't!" Phobos cried out desperately.

His eyes widened in horror as Jiri's eyes suddenly to glow a bright crimson. "You hurt my pet," she whispered angrily. Then she smiled. In a matter of seconds, bright beams of light in the shape of vectors that moved like tentacles swiped through the mens' limbs and torsos. The gang exploded in torn limbs, with blood raining down on the duo.

"There!" Jiri announced happily. "Everything's all better."

Phobos gasped in horror to see the girl now covered in drops and drops of blood. "Jiri… what are you?"

Before Jiri could respond, a cloaked figured appeared behind her.

"Cute little Jiri…" the voice taunted. "Who said you can leave your tower?"

Jiri pouted, covering her ears. "I'm still mad at you! You broke your promise to take me to Meridian, jerk!"

The figure sighed. "I'm sorry. Does that work for you, dearie?"

Jiri's pout suddenly morphed into a satisfied smile. "Sure it does!" She turned to Phobos, who was still bleeding and lying against the ground. "Well, Phobos, it was nice knowing you! I have to go now, though."

"W-Wait…" Phobos whispered shyly. Jiri walked up to him and pulled him into an embrace. She pressed her lip against his ear. "If you really want to come find me," she said playfully. "Remember the name Judal."

"J-Judal?" Phobos whimpered. "How…?"

Jiri just giggled and stood up, leaving him to bleed on the ground. "Hey Phobos!" she called out. "By the way, you really should go smell those cherry blossoms in the bizarre! Oh and roses! Roses are pretty! Have you seen the moon lately too? That's pretty also!"

Phobos kept listening to her ramblings in shock. The cloaked figure stared at him, his identity concealed. A smile appeared on his face, before following behind the young girl. Pretty soon, the two were gone.

Phobos slowly rose to his knees as the rain began to fall again. He was injured and bloodied, but somehow that didn't matter to him.

"Jiri…" he whispered. She made him feel so many things. Anger, melancholy, and joy. He found himself clenching his fists. His stomach was boiling with frustration. Why did she leave? She was the only one who saw him eye to eye instead of looking at him in disgust. "I want to see you again. I want to see you again. I want to see you again!"

He slowly rose to his feet, tears welling in his eyes. And then he began laughing. "These-These are genuine feelings! This is what it feels to be alive!" His laughter fell into whimpers. "J-Jiri…. I can't truly live without being around you. I will find you again. I swear it."

-xxx-

"Hey…Himerish…." Phobos whispered, his hair curtaining over his eyes. "I did all of this for her, you know…"

The tears were falling down Himerish's cheeks. "Phobos you can't do this! You don't understand… You don't understand the circumstances with her..."

"Since that rainy day…" Phobos narrated to himself, closing his eyes. "I did everything I could to gain power. Just so I can see her. I even killed my own mother so I wouldn't be restrained. I became a toy to so many nobles just to reunite with my father and take a place in the Escanor family… even as a bastard child. I did it all for her." He turned to Himerish. "So you really can't blame me… If I'm willing to destroy worlds just to see her again!"

Hey guys! Creepy Phobos mode is on! Much darker than you think, huh? Anyway, if you guys leave a review, I'll send you guys a link to a youtube video I made on Jiri. Thank you and review the OCs if you'd like as well!