The next few days were a tumult of activity and organization the likes of which Helman Hall and the surrounding areas hadn’t seen in a very long time. Natsu, Toji, Hero, Megura, and Cain spent a lot of time throughout the state coordinating and assisting with any businesses and residences the Divine had that needed to be shut down or signed over. Natsu was surprised there were so many Divine who were not exiled that had stayed long term. Hero explained it really wasn’t as uncommon as they would have imagined. Many were former exiles who wanted to help the rest, and others just really enjoyed living in the Mortal Realm.
Toji had expected some pushback or confrontation from a lot of Divine, but thankfully getting everyone to move was a fairly smooth process. In just one day alone, more than half the Divine residents in their state had left, allowing Hawk to close and seal those doors for good without a second thought. There were some Divine that opted to stay behind, and Hero wasn’t going to force them to change their minds.
“The exiles still need someone to help them,” one demoness told them. “I understand you all have to go, but I prefer to stay and continue the work.”
She wasn’t the only one who voiced that same sentiment, not just to Hero’s group, but to many others as well. When Hero was asked what they should tell the Divine who wanted to stay, he told them not to argue with them. He’d experienced first hand what forcing someone to be somewhere they didn’t want to be was like and he was not eager to put anyone else through that stress.
“The problems that could cause on a massive scale would be far worse in the long run. If they want to stay, let them stay.”
After the first two days following Toji and Natsu’s immersion from their bedroom, more than eighty percent of all Divine had vacated the mortal realm. This made Hawk extremely happy because that meant his worries about the number of open doors stressing the barrier were for naught. What was more, and what many people avoided mentioning in case of jinxing anything, was that the attacks on exile settlements had completely stopped. Secretly, Hero hoped that would change the High Divine’s mind about this barrier closure and leave it open. It may annoy a few people, but at least life could continue as normal.
Two days before the deadline, Kayla asked the all-important question that had been weighing heavily on everyone’s minds: “What’s going to happen to the souls?”
Hero sighed. “They’re going to be…stored,” he said the last word as though it were a curse. “There are Divine-run facilities all over the world where souls will be kept safe until the barrier reopens.”
“Who’s going to manage that?” Chloe asked. “There are eight billion people on this planet, and nearly as many souls. I’m not saying there will be eight billion souls floating around by the end of all this, but someone has to be accountable for all of them, regardless.”
Hawk nodded. “We know. There have been some Divine who have elected to stay behind for the sole purpose of collecting souls and taking them to whatever facility is nearby.”
Ava grimaced. “That’s really not going to help us on the other side who are dependent on the soul’s emotions to live.”
“About that,” Hawk said, rubbing the back of his neck. “The High Divine has ordered that all deities are to supply angels with the food source you need. They’ve come up with a method where you can pull the emotions from the energy flow itself instead of the soul. I don’t know how effective that’s going to be, but it’s something.”
“And the demons?”
Finn looked away. “It’s best not to ask.”
Ava swallowed and let it go. Demons needed, at the very least, blood in order to keep their core from going out of control, or allowing the energy itself from taking over and consuming the demon. Hawk and Nox did their best to not talk about it, but they knew exactly what happened when they didn’t eat.
However, blood alone didn’t always satisfy, so an entire body was needed in order to be consumed. This helped keep the energy stable for weeks or months at a time. Outside of energy control, living flesh was also what demons depended on to survive. Without it, they would go feral from starvation. The worst part of it was that, because they were immortal, the starvation wouldn’t kill them, only send them into an almost irreversible state where they would need to be put down. The reason Toji could get by on blood alone was because he wasn’t an actual demon, he only possessed the power of one. Now, he wasn’t the only one.
Lying in bed after another heavy round, Natsu curled in his side already sore as hell but not nearly done with him, Toji told him he had something new to anticipate thanks to the soul union.
“You’ll need to drink blood more regularly now,” he said. “Your core was built on a foundation based almost entirely on demon energy. If you don’t drink blood, it will go haywire and bad things could happen.”
“Like what?”
“It’s different for everyone, but for me it’s headaches, irritability, becoming more violent. And that’s just the beginning. You’ll start to lose control, black out, shift without meaning to, maybe even attack someone close to you.”
“I would never—”
“You would.”
Natsu sat up, watching Toji’s face. Toji played with a lock of Natsu’s hair and sighed softly. “Baby, you would be so lost and gone, you would have no clue who anyone around you actually is. Everyone is food at that point. There’s really no telling what you’d do, what you’d become.”
“Has that ever happened to you?”
“Thankfully, no, I’ve never gotten that far. It happened to Pater and Uncle Nox, though. They don’t talk about it and they never will. The only reason I even know is because of Toji’s memories. He had to save Dad a couple of times after being attacked. Pater was riddled with guilt for a very long time after that. That’s something I never, in my entire existence, want to put you through.”
Natsu nodded, understanding completely. “I guess it helps I have a regular source then,” he smiled.
Toji chuckled softly. “It really does. Living off the bagged blood wasn’t easy for me, but I managed. It’s better in a lot of ways having you as my source.”
“I imagine there might be times we’ll be apart a long time, depending on what we end up doing over there, right?” Natsu asked, hoping the answer would be no.
Toji averted his gaze. “Probably,” he answered honestly. “I may not be working towards being a King anymore, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have other things to do. I’m still a Major in the Helman Kingdom Army, I still have troops to lead and responsibilities there. It’s actually something I’ve been considering doing full time since I can’t do anything with the exiles from there.”
“What about working more with the anishifs? Training with Nox to better control your dark energy?”
Toji shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “Regardless, you make a good point about us not always being together, which is a shitty thought to even consider.” He kissed Natsu’s forehead, adjusting to hold him tighter. “But if that happens, I’d want you to have a backup source.”
Natsu shook his head. “I’ll just use bags like you did.”
“That’s not a terrible idea. I know I don’t want to drink from anyone else if I can help it.”
“But you still want us to consider the possibility.”
Toji nodded. “Depending on one option is asking for trouble.”
“So, who would you suggest it be?”
Toji was quiet for a minute, his mind going over every name and face he knew. It would make sense to use their Guards, but drinking from Lukas didn’t exactly appeal to him. Just as drinking from Ava was something Natsu found uncomfortable to consider. One idea came to mind and he caught Natsu’s gaze as it took hold.
After a small hesitation, Natsu nodded. “I’m actually incredibly comfortable with that.”
Toji smiled. “Me, too. I hope we never have to get to that point, but we should leave it available to us, anyway.” He nuzzled Natsu’s neck, gently opening the skin and licking the tiny bit of blood that oozed out. “Talking about this makes me hungry,” he murmured.
“And apparently horny,” Natsu said, pressing his leg against Toji’s growing hardness.
“At least you know I will always want you in more ways than one.”
-*-
Lukas yawned as he walked through the manor’s near-empty halls. While there were still a few Divine who agreed to stay for the exiles and the upkeep of Helman Hall, many more had opted to go back. Over the last few days, the already large house had felt even larger, emptier, devoid of life. He’d walked these floors many times when the Helmans and Albrights weren’t there, but for some reason, given the circumstances, it just felt so different.
He, Ava, Natsu, Toji, Megura, Ynda, and Finn had all opted to wait until the last few hours of the deadline to leave to make sure there was no one left who still wanted to join them. Kayla and Havik had already returned per Hero’s and Jordan’s request, along with all their parents and Mercy. Evie had left that morning, even though she wanted to wait with the rest of them. Lukas insisted, encouraging her to go to one of the villages he knew about where she could apply for residency as a citizen of the Veil, along with Cain.
“It’s the only way you’ll be able to join any of the services in the Veil. If you’re still listed as a resident of any of the Realms in Hell, you’ll be denied,” he explained. Ynda confirmed this with Cain.
“If you stay as a resident of Hell, then you can only apply to join a subdivision of our military or Guard outfits, along with anything else, really. You’d be stationed in one of those Realms before you were chosen for anything in the Veil,” she said.
Evie relented and she and Cain joined Dracon with that morning’s group. Lukas had given her a brief kiss, promising to see her soon. His smile faded once she was gone; he absolutely hated that he felt nothing from that kiss. He also felt ashamed that he was secretly glad she had left. He wanted to be able to spend more time with Toji…
Fucking. Liar.
Lukas’ steps faltered and he leaned against the wall. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to ignore the lance of pain in his chest.
It’s me you want, not him. Stop lying, Kas…
Lukas shut his eyes, shaking his head. No…he refused to admit that. He refused to admit there was something going on between him and Noah…refused to admit that these random thoughts and feelings weren’t his own. They were blurry, vague, sometimes hard to interpret at times, but they weren’t his. He tried to tell himself he was just tired, exhausted from the vacation that had ended far too soon, tired from having to run around and get the Divine across the barrier as soon as possible, tired from keeping busy in an attempt not to think.
And you say I’m the one hurting you…
Lukas clenched his fist, the heartache slamming into him like a hammer. The feeling didn’t need words attached; he knew exactly how Noah felt. He wondered, though, as he buried one inescapable truth deep within him, if Noah knew the truth of Lukas’ own heart. Toji had told him about the doors the family had within their link that were used to keep secrets. On a hunch, he created one of his own a few days prior, using it to lock away not only the more intense of his feelings, but also the truth of his own self when it came to Toji. He remembered the feeling of despair and anxiety that he was keeping something from Noah, something the teen couldn’t stand.
He opened his eyes, his gaze locked on the carpet at his feet. Had they left yet? Noah’s group? It didn’t feel like he was all that far away, maybe he was still there…waiting for Lukas. He swallowed, lifting his head and resting it against the wall.
I must be losing my damn mind…I can’t be thinking about you right now…I can’t be thinking about you at all.
He took a few deep breaths and did his best to push the image of that beautiful boy from his mind, of his large ruby red eyes, of those lush full lips he should have kissed…
Evie…I’m with Evie…
Noah’s broken heart could have ripped a hole in his own chest.
Lukas pushed off the wall and hurried to his room, desperate to find something else to distract him. Maybe he could blast some music while he finished packing, maybe call up one of his friends he hadn’t seen during the trip, maybe text Toji and see what he was up to and if he could be persuaded to peel himself off Natsu for an hour. There was an idea…
He pulled out his phone and brought up the message string with Toji as he opened his door. He had started typing out a new text when a scent made his thumbs freeze. His eyes rose up from the screen and he turned on the light, illuminating the decently sized bedroom. He looked around, keeping his senses open, wary of every shadow and flicker of light.
There was nothing.
No…there was something. A tiny movement on his desk caught his attention. He slowly walked up behind his chair and gripped the back, his gaze falling on the flower that lay across the corner of a small piece of paper, upon which three words were written,
I’ll find you
There was no signature, nothing to indicate who the writer was. The sprig of wolfsbane was the only clue he had.
Slowly, he sank into a crouch, his head buried in his arms, the flower clutched in his hand, the text forgotten, as he let Noah know exactly how he felt with his own tears.
-*-
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