70 Desire (1/2)

Riyku did not know what to do. Traveling down the road, he was subconsciously walking along the route he took when he was with Astrid and Astraia. His eyes seemed to drift around each spot, recalling the beautiful memories he had with them, from laughs to promises and other enjoyable times. All the memories continued to fill his mind, filling his body with an emotion of love. A soft smile came across his face. ”I see...” Riyku would murmur while placing his hand to his chest. ”I had almost forgotten...” He would add, turning on his heel as to prepare to head back towards Safe Haven.

”A man has to be Strong, Brave, and Honest.” Riyku had nearly forgotten these words. He was slowly being consumed by doubt and hate that fear started to dreadful forth. He was being anything but Strong and Brave, and recalling all of those happy times he spent with Astrid and Astraia helped him recall what he was told when he was still alive in MiddleWorld.

Riyku would make his way back towards Safe Haven; the frown he had when he left had been replaced with a soft smile. He may not have realized it, but he was gone for a few hours during his little 'walk.' The time it took to make his way back was a lot less considering he had already been near Safe Have, so perhaps about ten, maybe twenty minutes. Riyku would push open the doors of Safe Haven, ”Astrid! Astraiaaaaaa....” Riyku's cheery voice slowly drained as he saw the entire place had been turned upside down. Bloodstains and bodies were everywhere. It looked like a small war of some kind had taken place here, and the strange part was that no one was outside or investigating it.

”Riyku... is that... you?” A weak-willed voice called from behind the counter. Riyku had hastily made his way towards the voice only to notice it was one of the regulars. She had a large hole in her stomach, but that did not seem to stop her from delivering her final message.

”Anything.” He muttered.

”Anything?” He groaned.

”Anything!?” He exclaimed.

When he was starting to lose hope, he had found something. It was a small hair clip. It was Astrid's. Picking up the hair clip, he would take a look around once more, and there he found a bracelet. He had given Astraia this bracelet as a gift a while back. It was set on the ground near the wall. Upon further examination, he figured that they might have escaped over the wall. The direction was most likely to be where the accessories had been dropped. Riyku would sprout his wings only to kick off the ground to take to the skies.

”Do you think you will find them?” Skeith's sinister voice echoed within his mind.

”I will,” Riyku replied firmly.

”That so?” Skeith seemed to scoff.

”Do you even know where they are? They could be anywhere. Hell, they could be in another Netherworld.” Skeith would remark.

”Does not matter. I will find them. I will save them.” Riyku would retort, his resolve still firm.

A moment of silence came before Skeith sighed softly. ”Look for their energy.” Skeith would comment. Riyku seemed confused by this statement, but Skeith explained. ”When you sleep with someone, you brief exchange your energy with them. Your energies link and entwine. All demons are capable of this, but few know about it. The more you sleep with someone, the strong your sensory of their energy becomes. Focus your senses on their energy. Focus your mind on what you feel when you are around them. Focus on them.”

Riyku was taken back a bit by the help Skeith was giving him. Regardless, he would heed his advice do just that. Taking a moment to stop his forward momentum from closing his eyes and focus on Astrid and Astraia. Still, black had encompassed his mind and sight. As he focused further on Astrid and Astraia and his feelings for them, a thin white stream started to form as a wisp. The more he focused, the strong the stream became, and eventually, he could feel their energy. ”Found them!” Riyku exclaimed before pushing forward.

Meanwhile, in some castle, Hawk was standing in his room with a wine glass in his hand. Swirling the liquid while in thought. A knock came from his door, followed by someone who entered. ”Sir!” It was a guardsman dressed in the same type of armor as the soldiers who attacked Safe Haven. ”We have captured Astrid BurningAsh and Astraia BurningAsh. We have them captive in the dungeon. Your orders?” The soldier would give his briefing with an upstanding salute.

An 'mmmm' came from Hawk, ”I take it; you followed my orders perfectly.” Hawk's voice was low and cold. ”Y-Yes, Sir!” The soldier replied. Hawk would set the wine glass down, ”You do not sound confident.” Hawk would remark. The soldier started to tremble. ”W-Well... I tried to warn them... but they refused to follow orders.” The soldier would remark. ”Tell me, what part of the orders are they dismissing?” Hawk would finger the edge of the wine glass while patiently awaiting an answer. The soldier gulped heavily, ”T-They started having their way with them, Sir.” The soldier would reply with fear in his voice.