THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUBSCRIBED TO THIS STORY, THIS ONE IS BY FAR MY MOST SUCCESSFUL ALTHOUGH I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY SINCE I'M A Y WRITER. bleh. ANYWAYS, I SEND ALL MY LOVES TO YOU GUYS FOR KEEPING WITH THE STORY SINCE THE BEGINNING, FOR THOSE WHO ALWAYS NEVER FORGETS TO COMMENT. THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART. <3

A lonely star sat up in the sky, shining by itself with the dark heavens behind it. None of the others strayed around the ball of light, the closest one seeming as if it was light years away. That was how Hero felt, right to the core of the misery of being on one’s own yet he found the empty space rather comforting if not a bit bothersome at times.

In his mind were thoughts, jumbled up into a knot and no matter how much he tried to untie them it only worsened the case. The act was a little over to the desperation side, his need for answer maddening and frustrating not only for him but for the others who watched. Maybe at that moment he was in deep thought, though he did not know, the mere presence of someone else gave him a fright.

“Do you mind if I accompany you for a bit?” shocked he clumsily took over his mind and stood up to give the other a proper courtesy. He bowed half way down with nothing more than formality in his voice. The other chuckled at the wolf prince’s immediate action, it may have been amusing to see the prince puzzled but the toll of brooding too much over a certain subject was quite uncomfortable to see.

“Of course my lord” he spoke back, lips quivering at his nervousness. It was certainly a first to have the Phoenix itself come to him in her own accord. It was an honor of course but having it as the first still was a bit worrisome.

“No need to call me that Hero, Callido would do” Callido smiled genuinely, meaning what she said and of course taking the empty seat where the wolf had sat before she made her entrance. She gestured for the wolf to take the seat beside her, with much thought he complied, he did not have any other choice.

“Umm… what can I do for you?” he asked, awkwardly sitting beside her and making sure there was space left between them just in case she uses some power of hers to do something to him. It still has not been that long since they were formally introduced and it was a first to have them talking alone.

“How is your hand?” she asked, worry in her voice. Hero looked down on his bandaged hand, moving it from left to right and finding the pain coming and going but nonetheless he just nodded his head, wanting to look strong and fine. Callido smiled.

“I can see that you are giving thoughts to your situation … too much thoughts if I may say so myself” there was no answer from him, it was expected though, who would have one if they were in his place.

“I tend to not think about it but it’s quite difficult when she’s always there … but doesn’t seem to be there at all” a certain memory flashed in his mind, one that he wished was just a dream.

FLASHBACK

A lady in white walked aimlessly through the empty corridors of her house, the hallway lit by the sunlight let in by the open French doors, the satin curtains fluttering along the wind. One of her hands reached out to the wall, fingers trailing against the surface as if tracing a forgotten feeling or remembering a certain pattern.

She smiled beautifully, almost unreal but it was not and it grew even more as she got closer and closer to the familiar voices she heard and were the reason behind her wakening from her slumber. A soft giggle left her lips and it could have been a small tickle as she was walking barefooted against the rugged carpet or perhaps of what she has heard downstairs.

“Hmmm…” she hummed, her blonde hair flittering all over and with one hand she tucked the lose pieces behind her ears.

Carefully, she walked down the stairs step by step, wanting no one to know of her presence and spoil her surprise. Her blue eyes scanned the room, feeling as if she was gone for years and finally she had come back to a place she can call home. Everything was placed in the same spot as she had remembered, with a few add-ons perhaps but it was still the same.

She heard more voices as she went ahead towards the other room, voices she has not heard of before, at least that is what she thinks, and there were scents she immediately thought of that was not supposed to be present.

Like a little girl eavesdropping over the conversations of her parents- conversations that she was too young to hear or to understand, she peaked her head out of the wall and pursed her lips forward as though she was pouting. A certain someone had caught her attention and instantly she darted forward, completely forgetting about surprising them.

“Haeden” she squealed happily, running across the room and towards the vampire.

The vampire was dumbfounded, completely in shock but regained his posture when he realized who it was that was hugging him a little too tight. He just chuckled, finding the girl adorable but unlike him some did not enjoy the scene and by some it meant Hero, the wolf prince that was supposed to be in his position.

“Araia, you’re awake” Marko heard the bit of a ruckus that went on and came out of the kitchen to see what it was. Much to his surprise as she was not supposed to be up and about after what happened he was still more than happy to see her off her slumber.

Finally Araia had let go of her embrace around the vampire and turned towards the other who was almost tearing up. All of them were happy to see her walking around again, some of them felt overwhelmed almost that she was finally back to them again but all their joyous expressions had turned over with her next words.

“Who are they? What are they doing in my house?” her tone was flawlessly frank, her expression made no attempt of even trying to look like she was faking it because, after all she was not. Her eyes scanned the entire room, saw a couple of faces that she knew but the others were just a complete blank in her mind.

“Dara, don’t you…” Bom had stepped forward, hand held out like she was trying to get a small girl to come to her but without avail Dara stepped back and held her own hand out but instead for the purpose of a friendly gesture a small hint of red surrounded her palm. Marko quickly saw it and held the vampire’s hand down.

“Araia dear, you have just woken up from slumber and I am absolute that you are hungry after all of that. Won’t you join me in the kitchen?” Callido had showed up, her facing smiling as her hand reached out for Araia’s. Forgetting all that had happened Araia smiled and followed the other, Callido threw a look back at Marko that had meant that he explain to the others what that was.

Hero never looked so broken hearted, it was much more than when he thought Araia had died, that he had lost her. He did not move from his place, he stayed rooted and waited for an explanation to come his way as he did not want to make any rush judgment and go berserk, he did have a hopeful glow in his eyes but it was only a tad bit as it was shadowed by the misery of his heart.

To have the one you love embrace someone else before they come to you first is just as painful like you did not even exist is almost equivalent to having them gone from your hold. They may be there but they aren’t. Zen and Bom glanced over their shoulders at the wolf prince, not being able to imagine what was going through his mind at the moment nor even try to think of the thoughts that had him seemed so occupied.

“A quick explanation please” Chaerin narrowed his eyes on the vampire – Marko, or what they had known him to be.

Right after they got settled back in the mansion, before they could explain what the dilemma with Araia was he and the Phoenix took the liberty of introducing themselves to the others in terms of who they really were. It had turn out that Marko was not a vampire, he was the keeper of the Phoenix, her personally servant/assistant per say and so he was a fierie which would explain why Chaerin saw his name and his face on the book of the Gods. He was brought back to life with half of the life remaining within the Phoenix but it was already when she had given Araia her life – another part of the story they had told.

Callido had told them the story of how she had met Araia. Callido had truly been the phoenix that had kept the vampire princess company whenever she was alon, also, they were correct, Callido had given Araia immortality but the