The Forgotten Zodiac

"No, I can aim fairly well with a bow, not as good as Sylas, but...I messed up the portal we used and we all wound up here." Verolen shook his head. "It doesn't have anything to do with a bow, just...mental calculations."

"So... you weren't smart enough to get us where we were supposed to be?" he asked.

Verolen blinked. "Er...no, I just made a mistake. People tend to do that sometimes, you know. Make mistakes. I think you need a little more rest," Verolen chortled, standing up. "Here, I'll go get Aries. You remember Aries, don't you? She seemed worried about you."

"Yeah, Aries..." Byrne nodded. "Where did she go? Ah... what's up with my head? Everything's all fuzzy..." he murmured.

"I dunno. You had some tubes in you or something. Verdi was the same, but he's doing a little better now that he recognizes a few people. We think he's hallucinating or something. You're not hallucinating, are you? Can you see me?" He waved his hand in front of Byrne's face, frowning slightly.

"No I... I mean I can see you, but I... I don't know how to describe it... your face... amkes no sense," he attempted.

"My...face?" Verolen tilted his head to the side. "Is it sideways, upside down?" He said almost jokingly, then became serious again. "Do you see...someone else's face?"

((Prosopagnosia. Google. Go.))

"No, it's just... like, something's wrong," he said, turning his head sideways and squinting. "But I... I know it's you, because of your voice..." Byrne nodded. He rubbed his eyes wearily, then looked around the tent. "I remember this place... this was the place I came after you guys got me away from Vela. She's not here, is she?" he asked.

((Got it. Now I'm imagining everyone coming up with different methods to help him. xD))

"No, Vela isn't here. And if we're lucky, she won't be here for a very long while. Like, a few hundred years." Verolen shook his head. "But, uh...I'll go get Aries, okay? Don't go anywhere. I'll see what she thinks about this."

"Okay, I'll stay," Byrne said, curling back up on the little mat he had woken up on. He was still very confused, and was distantly wondering to himself if this was a dream - why else would all the people look so weird? But then again, he was hoping it was real, because if he were only sleeping, it would mean that he was still back with the warlocks.

((That'll be fun. ^^))

"Byrne?" Aries said, stepping in. She walked forward quickly, kneeling next to the human and putting a hand on his back. "Are you quite alright? Verolen said you didn't recognize him...do you know who I am?" She questioned quickly, perhaps too quickly.

Byrne jumped sharply, and a whimper escaped his lips before he realized who had come. "I know who you are, Aries," he said, turning over to look at her. He stopped for a moment, squinting at her face. "It... it is Aries?" he asked, softly.

"I really am Aries. Do you not recognize me?" She tilted her head to the side a bit, then pulled him into a hug. "But you know it's me. You know you're safe. I won't let anything hurt you, especially not Vala. I would die before I let anything get their hands on you, okay?

Byrne, unlike when Verolen hugged him, seemed to relax as Aries pulled him into her arms. "...thank you," he said softly, resting his head on her shoulder. "Is everyone else okay? No one got hurt trying to get me and Verdi out, did they? Or, if they did are they okay now?" he asked, worried for his other friends.

Aries sighed heavily. "Israel and Arachne were taken by the same people who took you. We tried our best, but...Arachne's foot was amputated. Everyone else has been healed, but...Arachne blocks magic. Bermuda couldn't reattach the foot because of that, so now...there's nothing there. She's fine otherwise, and Israel has recovered and is caring for her now. But it doesn't matter; we found you, no one else was severely injured...it's all okay now."

"And the scientists? Did they escape? Wh-what if they..." he trailed off here, remembering that Aries had promised to keep him safe, and fell silent. "Verdi's okay, isn't he? Did you get him out?" he asked, not having been conscious enough to remember.

"We did," Aries nodded. "He keeps hallucinating and can't remember people at first, but he seems to remember and recognize them after a few minutes of them being there. He's awfully clingy, too..."

"That's... kind of cute," Byrne said, looking a bit distant. His eyes conveyed exhaustion, but he didn't think he could sleep anymore. "Are the others outside? Can I go see them? What's that smell, someone's cooking?" he asked.

"Yes, there's food out there. Would you like me to bring you some, or do you want to come with me?" Aries questioned, rubbing his back gently to help him remain calm. "Most of the others were swimming, last I checked. We can go see them, if you want..."

Byrne nodded, and gripped Aries's shoulders. "Will you help me?" he asked. "I want to go see the others, and..." he trailed off, giving a small shudder and a sigh. It was obvious that he was still exhausted.