Kaine’s lips curl as he thinks, rubbing his head so firmly the veins along his hands begin to bulge. “No. No way.” His head shakes. “Nothing. I am wrong.”
“But why the games, though?”
“There is only one Light Stone.” Kaine locks eyes with me. “Which means, only one Realm could be curse free if we never started the games. The Royals of each Realm got together and decided the Realms shall fight and whoever is victorious, their Realm will be curse free for a year with the protection of the Light Stone. The people believe the stone is from the heart of our Gods, the true protection for us.”
“And people die for the chance to have it.”
He nods. “The people believe death will always be the key in order for our survival. Blood for blood. They feed off of these games and after centuries, it's become an obsession to some. The games will never end unless the curses vanish.”
I shift my body, facing him before I ask. “You have never told me what yours and Theon’s curses are?”
“You’ve never asked us.”
“I’ve had so much going on, trying to just survive in this place.” I pause. “I had forgotten about the curses.”
“We normally don’t discuss them with anyone. It's somewhat forbidden to talk about, especially to those who don’t bear a curse.” He sighs, crossing his arms over his broad chest, the arrow strapped to his back moving as he rolls his shoulders. “But I suppose you are not just anyone, now are you, Ren?”
I gesture for him to continue with an innocent smirk across my lips.
He hesitates for a split moment, weighing the risk of telling me. “I wield the darkness, the shadows ripping out the most sinister pieces of my soul from within, and I command them.These shadows are…” his jaw ticks, avoiding my gaze as if he feels I should fear him, “a reflection of a wickedness that sits inside my soul and is torn from within me to be a part of this world. They are a part of me, even if I don’t want them to be.”
“Does it hurt?” My gaze softens. “When you wield them from within you?”
“Yesandno.” He sucks in a breath. “I just vowed myself to never wield them unless a war breaks out against my Realm. Or, if I must fight for Azure alongside the Queen. The Royals are thankful we can control the curse, just imagine if we couldn’t. But the Royals have forbidden us to use them. They believe a dark magic cursed all the Royals for the war and the destruction to the Deskyiara bloodline.”
He is right. The Realms would be in chaos if the curses had control over them.
He turns, pulling up his long, raven hair, revealing the back of his neck, and markings of burnt-looking veins run down his spine. As if fire scorched his skin in this specific pattern.
“My Realm, the Realm of Ekane, is considered the sky of peace. I am now the opposite as I hold a darkness inside me.” He lets his hair fall, shifting back towards me. “I am forbidden to ever return, Queen Antivianna took me in. Theon is like a brother to me.”
“I’m so sorry.” I grab his shoulder, staring into those forest-green eyes with a halo of fire. “I am glad you have Theon. As I am glad to have both of you here. I wouldn’t have survived this far without the two of you.”
The corner of his lips tug into a smile, and his hand rests against mine. “And I am glad to have met you, Ren.”
“I suppose I am pretty amazing now, aren’t I?”
He shoves my shoulder before pulling me in under his arm. “Don’t die on us tomorrow.”
My throat tightens. “I’ll try not to.” I deeply exhale. “Are the Royals allowed to use their curses for the battle games?”
“No. It’s forbidden.” We both begin to walk up the wooden stairs, the wood chips breaking under our boots as I let Kaine walk in front. “It would be unfair for those who aren’t cursed. Most find our curses a blessing, the ability to use what we have as weapons, but they don’t realize the truth. The Gods will never accept us now, and I fear a darkness is coming soon to punish us for the wickedness the Royals carry.”
He halts, turning towards me as he holds out his trembling palms, staring at them as if they aren’t a part of him. His brows deepen, lines creasing between them as his lips tighten.
“My hands used to heal, now they are weapons of death.” His eyes glisten with tears as he meets my weary eyes. My heart aches for him. I wish I could ease his pain, but I know I can’t. The Royals are all fighting a darkness inside them that I cannot help with.
“Does Florian…heal?”
Kaine’s brows raise, tilting his chin towards me with a slow ease. “He offered healing to you?”
“He did, yes.” I cross my arms, my braid gliding along my chest as I tilt my head. The men that are left in the training pit begin to clean up and I know, soon, I will have to sneak past the guards with Koen.
“I’m shocked.” He clears his throat, rubbing his chin before crossing his arms in a deep thought. “Did he touch you? Heal you?”
My shoulders jolt backwards with his questions, curious as to why this even matters. “No. Why?”
“Two more heals is all he has left. Then he’s dead.”
