The Forgotten Zodiac

Leo shook his head slowly, clenching his eyes shut and grinding his teeth together in his mouth. "You idiot..." he growled, taking panther form and curling up next to the man. He easily wrapped himself around Sylas, pulling him close. "If I lost you...what would I have left? You idiot, you stupid idiot...!" His words sounded mean to anyone else and his growling sounded dark and hate-filled, but Sylas could hear the emotion in his voice and the one note in his growling that held a tone of friendship. The growling was Leo's purring and the words were his way of saying he cared.

Sylas layed limply in Leo's grip, closing his eyes and just letting Leo hug him. "I-I'm okay, though...I'm alive. You're not alone..." He murmured, managing to curl himself into Leo's hugging. "I didn't want to leave you...I wanted to h-help..."

Leo shuddered suddenly, moving one hand up to place it over his eyes, bowing his head low. It didn't take Sylas long to figure out that the panther was crying. Genuinely crying, which was something he didn't do often. Like father, like son, it seemed. His breath caught in his throat and he gasped softly once in a while, just shaking and finally pressing his head down against Sylas' shoulder.

Sylas started crying too after that. His friend's tears caused his own tears to start flowing. "It'll work out..." Sylas said quietly, sighing heavily. "Everything will all work out eventually..." He shook his head slightly, then leaned his head against Leo's. He truly was sorry for what he had done. He felt as though he had betrayed his own trust in his dearest friend, and he felt terrible about it, too.

Leo closed his eyes tightly, heaving a deep breath and trying to bite back his sobs. He wasn't able to, of course, and just ended up crying all the harder.

*

Luen sighed, watching Galai and Titus as they sat together.

The kirin hadn't moved from his place with Forin and Diana, not even to so much as eat. He was currently in deer form, curled up around the Tartaran and the little girl. He watched as Galai and Titus kissed and the queen nuzzled under the king's chin, her eyes closed happily.

Unfortunately, Forin's time was up. The guards came for him again, not even bothering to try and get Luen and Diana off before tugging on his chains. "Time to go, prisoner. Your day pass is up. Let's go, back to your cage."

"Right..." Forin said, his voice quiet but firm. "Diana, Luen...I have to go now."

"B-but...no!" Diana wailed, sniffling unhappily. "Please, please don't take him away, please!" She tried to bat the wolves away, but recoiled when they snapped at her.

"Diana, stop..."

"No, no!" Luen begged, taking human form and clinging desperately to the Tartaran. "Please, don't take him!" he cried, unable to do anything as a guard forced him away from the Tartaran he had made friends with. "You don't understand!" the kirin shouted with renewed passion. "I need him!" Tears dripped freely down his cheeks, and he suddenly ran forward and slipped between the guards' barrier, wrapping his arms around Forin and hugging one last time. "Wait," he murmured, in barely a whisper. "Just wait....I promise we'll get you back." Then a guard, the one-eyed gray wolf, grabbed him by his tail and jerked him backwards so hard that some of his white fur tore out and floated through the air near Forin, finally landing on his sleeve. Luen stumbled and slammed into the ground face-first, blinking dazedly as his nose gushed blood. The guards laughed at him as Diana helped him up, but he glared at them in hatred. He picked Diana up and held her close, watching Forin for as long as he possibly could.

Forin snarled at the one-eyed guard at this, but didn't struggle as he was literally dragged away. Truth was...he didn't know how much longer he could take it. Luen and Diana had taught him how to love, and he had been wrenched away from them. The only ones he considered his friends, he was now taken away from them. Ripped away from those he had learned to care about. And the dungeons, oh the dungeons...Forin started to struggle when he thought about it. He punched one wolf in the face before they could get him out the door. He broke away, running back towards Diana and Luen, but was tackled to the ground, snarling jaws snapped around the back of his neck in an instant. Then he had no choice but to lie there as they tugged on his arms and legs with their razor-like teeth, dragging him slowly away. He screamed, but was silenced as they left the throne room.

"The old laws forbid me from showing mercy," Titus sighed heavily, kissing Galai on the forehead. "Not that I would. You already know what he did...he's lucky I thought to give him a 'day pass'. They didn't exist until yesterday. But that's beside the point, let's dance a little more, shall we?"

When Forin screamed, Luen released a wailing sound that could've passed for a deer dying or an injured wolf. The blood from his nose dripped down into his mouth and down his chin and neck, but he didn't care. He swept Diana up into his arms and fled from Tartarus, unable to stomach being there anymore if he couldn't be with the one trapped there.

Galai's lips trembled, feeling Luen and Diana and Forin's despair clearly. "It's such a pity," she murmured, letting Titus take her back to the dance floor. "One is in jail, but two more are locked up as well. It's like the punishment fell on all three of them." She wrapped her wings around Titus, keeping him close to her.

"And to think, all this could have been avoided by telling his summoner to order their deaths...yet he protected her from that, even. And now he can't protect her. Being a summons is more difficult than one would think." Titus sighed heavily. "Currently, there are two Tartarans summoned; one in a distant empire named Julim, and the other lurks here with Kiraki as her protector and guardian of her happiness. With so few about, I wonder if anyone in the outside world remembers any of the old legends..."

Galai nodded, sighing quietly. "I understand. In Amnairus, so many of our guardians are still in the city, rather than out in the human world. Currently for us, there are four at work out of hundreds. One named Labelle, who looks after an elderly man in Jagat's hometown, then there are Styica and Lyica, sisters both summoned by brothers. The last is Hunni, and she resides in...Werr's old hometown." She pressed closer to her husband, then said "I wish these were the old days. When the small number of guardians were the ones left in Amnairus and Tartarus. Back when our people walked among the humans as friends. When our worlds were a hustle and bustle of guardians going to and fro, and the streets were nearly empty due to how many were summoned. Those were the good days. Back when we were young." She looked up at him, the twisted skin on the right side of her face crinkling as she smiled sadly.

"Well, we aren't young anymore." Titus sighed quietly. "People may see us as eternal beings, but the time is nigh for drastic changes. The Divine has already grown streaks of grey. If we do not bring forth another, the place between worlds will become no more and our worlds will dissolve as well. As for me...I can feel the creak of my bones as I move, and my hands feel burdened when I reach for something..." He hugged his dearest tightly. "But now is not the time to mourn over the lost past. We should celebrate what our worlds once were, and...perhaps try to bring those days about again."

She smiled up at him, the crinkles of her scarred face growing wider as her smile grew. "I like that," she murmured. "I'm unhappy that our child is growing so close to expiring, but sadly, there's nothing that we can do to stop it. We have about ten years left in the Divine's life." She leaned up to kiss Titus, starting to close her eyes down to mere slits, then froze when the most heartwrenching, bloodcurdling scream shot through the air, tearing through the sky and causing both Tartarus and Amnairus to shake.

The screams of the Divine.

Galai tore herself from Titus' side and fled from the palace, already calling out her child's name in terror.

"Wh-what on earth...?" Titus watched her leave, then flew after her, wings pounding. What could go wrong now? That perfect moment, torn away from him...whoever was causing this screaming was going to pay. They would pay with their lives, too.

When they arrived at the Place Between Worlds, they found the Divine thrashing and withering on the bridge, its great silvery blood pouring from its mouth and nose. It screamed and wailed, fighting for its life against a shadowy black figure that was holding its hand on the Divine's large snout.

The figure was dark and twisted, with a black hood and cape that covered its body. A long scythe was held in one hand, a scythe that had small black skulls decorating its blade and bones for a handle. This being wafted like a shadow, a pair of skeletal wings stretching from its shoulderblades.

It turned with the clatter of bones and focused dark red eyes on Galai as she stepped onto the bridge, crying out at the sight of her beloved child dying on the rainbow bridge.

"Back, Galai!" Titus snapped, flying at the figure. In an instant, his large sword appeared in his hand, in time for him to swing at the figure causing such pain to his child. He was furious, to say the least.

Back in Amnairus, Sylas wasn't resting. He had heard the scream, of course. He recognized his friend's voice. "Let go, Leo...I-I have to see what's wrong...the Divine," He spluttered, trying to get up and see what had happened.

"Fine, fine," Leo snapped. "Just shut up and let me help you." He slipped his arms under Sylas, helping him lean on him as they made their way out to the bridge. They were just in time to see the strange black finger raise its scythe and block Titus' attack, metal ringing against metal. It spoke in a gravelly, sickening voice. "Away, your Majesty. This is not mine own doings." The hood billowed back, revealing a skeleton skull on a wayward, bony body, a pair of curved demon horns affixed to his head.

For many people knew of the Grim Reaper, though he preferred the name Death. He was a Titan in his own, the creature that appeared as people died in order to take their souls away. He was the one that showed up to take people into hell. For him to be here was a serious threat.

He pulled his weapon back and slammed it so powerfully into Titus' that the king was blasted backwards. He had kept one skeleton hand on the Divine's snout, the great creature's struggling growing weaker and weaker. The pendant around Death's neck was glowing, absorbing the Divine's soul.

Titus crashed onto the bridge, quick to pull himself up again. "Why...?" He demanded, snarling with rage.

"No!" Sylas yelled from the other side of the bridge. "It's not time yet, you can't take him!" He pushed away from Leo and staggered forward, only to sink to his knees. "Y-you can't...please...leave him alone!"

Death glanced emotionlessly over at the man, then said "This is not mine own choice, human. I am in knowing that this is not thine Divine's time. But in this, I am powerless. The Divine shall not be taken to hell. A much worse fate awaits." He raised one skeletal hand, baring a symbol that made their blood run cold.

The Mark sat there on his white bones, gleaming red in the light.

With a sickening snap, the Divine's soul was severed and dragged into Death's amulet. The huge creature froze, its eyes going wide, then it slowly went limp, sinking down and collapsing on the bridge.

"I have left you minutes of time with which to say goodbye," Death said. "With all of mine massive power, that was all I could do. I sorrow for you all." He turned and disappeared without another trance, leaving Galai to scream and run forward to her child, weeping and sobbing miserably as she fell onto the creature's muzzle, holding it as tight as she could. The huge creature could only weakly flicker its eyes and moan in a dying voice.

"No..." Sylas crawled forward, short of whimpering. "Divine...y-you...I...you weren't supposed to die yet...this place will collapse without you, th-then everything will be gone...why does Malice want this? Wh-why...?" He fell onto the Divine's neck, tears sliding down his cheeks. "I was supposed to retire here...you weren't supposed to die for another ten years...you were supposed to outlive me!" He spluttered, closing his eyes miserably.