Owen didn't move for quite some time. Alexander finally broke the silence.

"Owen?"

The cave had been so eerily silent before his voice broke through. Owen looked at him, his face stained with tears and his eyes red. Ciaran may have been trying to kill them, but he was still Owen's brother, and Owen had killed him.

Slowly and shakily, Owen rose to his feet and came over to remove the ropes from Alexander's wrists and ankles. Alexander suddenly felt guilt overtake him.

"Owen, I… this is all my fault. If I hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened."

Owen shook his head. "No. It would have. Maybe not in the same way, but it would have happened."

It was as if Owen was shattering in front of Alexander like fragile glass. So, he did the only thing he could think of at that moment, and he hugged Owen close to him. Comforting him as his shoulders trembled.

"We should leave."

The voice startled the two of them into standing positions, and they were worried that someone on Ciaran's side had found them. However, when Alexander saw the woman who owned the powerful voice that had rung through the cave, his breath caught in his throat. The woman looked exactly like his late mother, though she was very dead, so this woman could only be one person. He could scarcely believe his eyes.

"Aunt Valentina?"

Owen was visibly confused by what Alexander had just said. The woman simply smiled, her answer going unsaid as she motioned for them to follow her.

"Come, his friends will soon be here."

As they followed her, Alexander couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here. Back on Earth, she had gone missing around the time of his mother's death and was deemed either a suspect or dead by the police. Even though his mother's death was ultimately ruled a suicide, Alexander's father had seemed like he had known something but had never said it.

They arrived at a small cave a few miles from the other, hidden behind tree cover. When they entered, the interior gave away nothing to indicate they were inside a cave. It seemed like more of a rustic cabin. Even when Alexander noticed a large glass window, it showed tall trees and greenery like a mountain, not a cave wall. He could smell the wood burning from a crackling fireplace that made the place seem warm and inviting. It was a simple cabin, like what you would find on a hillside, and Alexander was sure that she had used magic and that they, indeed, weren't in the cave they had entered from.

Now seated at the table in the small kitchen, no one spoke. Finally, after a while of empty silence, Owen broke the silence.

"Alex called you his aunt earlier, are you?"

Valentina nodded. "I am, and I'm sure he has questions for me." She said, turning her attention to her nephew.

Alexander took in the image before him: a petite, slender woman with hazel-colored eyes and long chocolate-brown hair pulled back into a braid. Her sun-kissed, fair, beige skin resembled his own while mirroring his mother's. It was as if he had gone back in time and was looking at his mother once again.

Alexander didn't say anything for a while. His thoughts were so jumbled that he couldn't make sense of them. Finally, he spoke.

"Did you kill my mother?" He asked her. This question left Owen surprised, to say the least.

Valentina shook her head, "No, I didn't… is that what they told you?"

"No, but you were a suspect until they ruled it suicide. You disappeared so soon after it happened that even I wasn't sure…" He admitted quietly. "Why did you leave?"

Valentina sighed lightly, "Alexander, did anyone tell you why my sister killed herself?"

Alexander shook his head, "no, no one would talk about it afterward. I sort of put two and two together and figured it was my fault because I couldn't use magic."

"You're only half right. Yes, she killed herself because you couldn't use magic, but that wasn't entirely your fault. As I'm sure you now know?" Her voice was questioning, asking whether he'd had the curse removed.

Alexander narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "was it you then?"

"No, it was my late husband. He was originally from this world. Like your grandfather was, when he realized I had foretold that you would be the one the prophecy spoke of, he wanted to kill you, and so he cursed you to prevent you from being able to fight back."

She cast her gaze downward, "I found out just after my sister killed herself. He had planned on coming after you when you were older and making it look like an accident. So, I killed him and fled to this world."

Alexander's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe it.

"Then it is true…"

He glanced downward now as Valencia looked at him, "So you suspected you were the one the prophecy spoke of? I imagine you learned of it after arriving here. I had planned on bringing you straight to me and helping you, but someone hijacked my spell, and you were sent elsewhere. I suspect it was Ciaran who brought you to them in the hopes of killing you before you could put up a fight."

Alexander nodded.

Owen chimed in now, unable to keep his thoughts at bay, "Is there any way to stop or change the prophecy?"

Valencia and Alexander both looked at him in surprise.

Owen felt his face flush, and he looked away, "I don't want him to die…."

Valencia seemed to put two and two together at that point and frowned. "I am sorry, I'm not entirely sure if the prophecy will take his life or not, but no, the only way to truly keep the prophecy at bay is to kill him. However, then another will take his place."

Alexander placed a hand over Owens, which rested on the table, "Owen, I have to do this. If I'm going to end up dying, either way, I would rather choose my fate and protect everyone."

Owen felt tears stinging in his eyes, and he looked away. After a moment or two, he stood up and left the room, saying, "I… I'm sorry, but I can't watch that…" His voice was somber.

After he had left, Alexander looked at his aunt, his expression unreadable, "What exactly do I need to do?"

Valencia was nearly on the verge of tears herself, and you could hear as much in her voice, "I'm sorry, Alex. I wish that I could do something to stop this…. But… perhaps you’ll be, okay?" Her voice was barely audible.

Alexander smiled, "It's okay… I wasn't sure if I was okay with it at first, but-" He looked toward where Owen had left, "I am now."

She nodded, "you love him?"

Alexander looked back at her, "I… I think I might. Not that it matters."

Even if he did live, despite any present feelings, Owen couldn’t be with him.

Valencia placed a gentle hand on Alexander's, "We can do it as soon as tomorrow."

That night, Alexander couldn't bring himself to sleep. He felt guilty for willingly leaving Owen. Even knowing Owen probably wouldn't pursue a relationship because of his family anyway, Alexander still felt guilty as he knew it would hurt him. Still, suppose he was going to die anyway. In that case, he would choose how he died instead of letting someone get the better of him at some point or potentially getting Owen hurt because of it.

At first, he wasn't sure how he'd felt about Owen. Or if he was okay with his feelings. But, after running away and being attacked by Ciaran, he realized it didn't matter what gender Owen was or even what world they were in. He cared for Owen, regardless. If Owen had been a girl, he would have felt the same. He cared for him because he was him.

Finally, he gave up on sleep and headed to Owens's room. He didn't want to spend whatever time he had left with Owen being angry with him.

Alexander knocked on the door. "Owen?" He softly called out into the dark.

After a while, Alexander almost gave up when Owen opened the door. "Why are you here?"

Alexander gazed downward, "because I have something I need to tell you."

Owen opened the door wider so that Alexander could come inside. They sat side by side at the foot of the bed. Neither said a word until Alexander finally broke the silence.

"Owen I… I'm sorry."

Owen didn't look at him, "if that was what you came here to tell me, then you wasted your time."

"It isn't. Not entirely, anyway."

Alexander had folded his hands on his lap in front of him. He felt nervous and wanted to run away, but he knew if this were the last thing he'd ever be able to say to Owen, he wanted to be honest with him.

"I think I love you, Owen."

Owen looked at Alexander, but before he could say anything, Alexander continued speaking.

"I realize that you probably can't do anything because of your family. I realize this probably seems like a waste to say since I may not have much time left, but… that's why I had to say it. Because I don't want you to think I'm doing this to protect Ellond. Because honestly, if I had to choose, I wouldn't choose this world or even my own I… I would choose you."

At first, Alexander wasn't sure how Owen would take this. Was he going to be angry and kick him out for telling him this just for him to potentially die, or would he reject him entirely because of the situation?

Instead, Owen reached out and gently touched Alexander's cheek, moving Alexander to face him. Time seemed to stop as Owen's lips met his. Alexander felt his heart pound in his chest as Owen invaded all his senses. Alexander closed his eyes as he allowed himself to enjoy this unexpected moment. Alexander parted his lips and felt Owen washing over him like a wave of warmth, unfurling all his senses as the taste of him nearly silenced all thoughts. Owen kept his eyes half-open, sneaking a guilty peek at Alexander every time he returned for air to make sure this wasn't a dream. The warm feeling of his breath was both inviting and intoxicating. Alexander's whole body tingled, the feel of his frame leaning on Owen's as his arms made their way around him in a gentle embrace.

They pulled away from each other after a time. Out of breath, they leaned against one another for support. Nothing else needed to be said, and so for the rest of the night, they lay in each other's arms, unsure of how much time they had left together.