“Ren!”

Julian’s eyes sprang open, the room around him dark and still, his erratic heartbeat the only sound. He was breathing heavy, his face damp with sweat, tears running down his face. He swallowed hard, running his hand over his face as he slowly sat up, resting his arm over his bent knee, the sheets falling to his lap.

Sun sat up beside him, raising his head to inspect his master. Julian glanced at the pit bull, petting his head. The dog licked at his hand, yawning before getting up for a deep stretch. He licked Julian’s face a few times before jumping from the large bed. Julian watched him go, himself not yet ready to move. His body shook from the terror the dream gave him, his chest aching. He put his hand over his core and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself.

He sniffed back the tears, running a hand through his hair, letting his fingers stop to grip it tightly, the image of Ren’s face still vivid in his mind.

Why couldn’t I save you? 

He shook his head. No…Ren wasn’t dead…they had searched for weeks, and his body had never been found. He’d either gotten away, or someone had found him. He was missing, not dead, Julian didn’t give a damn what they said.

With a sigh, he got out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweats and an old tee. He didn’t bother putting on socks or slippers. He padded through his huge room, meeting Sun at the door, his tail wagging vigorously as he waited for Julian to open it. Once free, the dog bounded down the hall, Julian behind him as they made their way through the castle. It was only a few minutes before they made it to the door that led out to the large veranda and the massive yard beyond. Sun raced out into the darkness with only one goal in mind, one Julian wasn’t about to deny.

He leaned on the railing, breathing deeply of the cool night air. He could hear the giant waterfalls that poured out from under the castle, smell the delicious sea air mixed with the woody fragrance of the woods behind them. The two moons above shone brightly, illuminating the yards and the gardens, along with the sprites that flitted around the flowers and played with Sun. Even now, he had to admit this area was a far better place than where the ruins of the previous Helman Court stood. The new Court was much further away, but it didn’t matter.

The Veil was an infinite Realm full of magic and beauty that was absolutely unparalleled, even more so since the Reconstruction five years ago. For all the anger and resentment Toji held against the Divine, and especially his own family, he still held enough love for what the Veil had once been for him to make it more splendid than before. 

Five years…the entire universe had changed dramatically in the last five years. The Realms had been shifted around with the Veil holding it all together, protecting and watching over everything. Hero had gone to the place where it had all changed, telling Hawk and the rest of the family that Toji and Natsu Kanaki, the Devil Gods, had formed everything into a core, similar to what every Divine being held within them. Within the Core were the other three major Realms; Heaven, Hell, and the Mortal Realm, spinning in concert with each other like rings in a gyroscope. Within the Realms themselves, everything had been shifted, making it so there was full interaction between all beings everywhere, especially in the Mortal Realm. There was still some division among the Divine Realms, but it was thin at best. Within Heaven and Hell, they were no longer separated into their own separate Realms, but Kingdoms, and even those had been shifted. 

Some of Heaven was now in Hell, some of Hell was now in Heaven, and the Veil itself remained its own entity. If anyone wanted to get around quicker between the Realms, they had to create tears “through” the Veil. Not only was it a Realm of its own, but it was the skin that held it all in place, and the thin barrier that had to be crossed. There was also a new area that had been created in which souls passed through with the aid of Reapers, a new subset of Divine that were charged with their care and protection. During the time of the Great Separation, as it came to be known, souls of the deceased were gathered into storage facilities where they were meant to remain safe until the barrier that separated the Divine Realms from the Mortal Realm was reopened. Instead, they became feeding troughs for corrupted angels. 

When the barrier was destroyed thanks to Toji and several others, there was such an influx of what souls remained, it was difficult for the Children of the Veil who tended the Soul Garden to manage them all. Hundreds, if not thousands of souls or more were still being picked off and devoured, taken by a few Devil Kings and purposely torn apart and corrupted to make more demons. The souls that did make it back to the Soul Garden received more protection, even from the angels who were created from souls. Because of what the souls had endured, several Mid- and High-Gods decided it was best to have some sort of guardians selected to not only shepard the souls where they were meant to go, but to collect them as well. A select few decided it would be better to create an entire new race of beings meant specifically for this task alone.

This new race became known as the Reapers. The place where the souls were taken was the Void. The only ones who could step foot in the Void were the Reapers, everyone else was forbidden, including the main creators of this new space, Hero and Hawk Grace Helman. 

Julian Frae’s grandfathers.

Five years ago the universe changed…

Four years ago, Julian lost his world…

It didn’t matter how beautiful the Veil around him had become. Without Ren Nova, it all looked the same to him. 

He groaned silently, dipping his head as he ran a hand over his hair and to the back of his neck. “Where are you?” he whispered to himself. “Ren…”

“Can’t sleep?”

Julian lifted his head, glancing to the side to see his father, Havik Grace Helman, approach, placing an unlit cigarette in his mouth as he leaned backward against the railing.

“Yeah,” Julian responded. “Nightmare.” He nodded to the cigarette. “Mom’s going to be pissed if she sees you smoking that.”

“Your mom’s been pissed at me for years, kid, this wouldn’t make any difference.” He lit the cigarette, took a deep inhale and pocketed the lighter. 

“Maybe try doing things that will make a difference,” Julian grumbled, turning his gaze back to Sun who was wandering aimlessly around the yard, a line of colored dots on his back. He was giving the sprites a ride.

Havik snorted. “You say that like I haven’t,” he said. He turned to his son, taking in his despondent expression and the stoop in his shoulders. “I take it you dreamt about Ren again.”

Julian nodded, saying nothing. His father was one of many who believed the celestial elf had died that day. Trying to convince him otherwise was a lost endeavor and Julian had given up on doing so. Havik had just been happy Julian had survived the fall with nothing more than a few broken bones and a permanently crippled wing. According to what he had been told, when Julian fell, he had tried to open his wings and fly down in an effort to save Ren. He was struck in the back by a huge boulder, mangling his wing beyond repair when it pinned him to a rock ledge, among the other damage it did. Ruby and Modette had also survived thanks to Modette flying them out of the cave-in in time. 

Havik sighed, taking another drag on his cigarette. “Wish I knew what to tell you, Julian. You keep taking more jobs and you refuse to move on, it’s no wonder you’re plagued by these dreams.”

Julian clenched his fist. He refused to move on from Ren because he knew in his soul what Ren was to him. It was something he kept to himself, telling no one, not even his siblings. They were close, but there was only so much he was willing to share. Besides, he wasn’t the only one with secrets among the three and he knew it. All anyone knew was that Julian had fallen in love with the elf guide and had been deeply affected by his presumed death.

The main reason why Julian never believed Ren had died was because he would know. He’d heard the stories of the pain a Divine suffered when their soulmate died, that it was so bad many of them committed suicide just to make it all end. Julian wasn’t in agonizing physical pain and he could still feel Ren if only faintly. He just hadn’t any knowledge of where he was. He’d taken more jobs, even searched the Veil and the other Realms for Ren, but he never found him. Even if someone he spoke to did know Ren, it was either years since they’d seen him last, or what they did know couldn’t be verified. 

“How would you feel if you lost Mom like this?” Julian finally asked.

Havik stared at his cigarette, twirling it between his fingers, his blonde hair waving in the soft breeze. It was a long moment before he said, “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Just because things haven’t been that great between us for a while, doesn’t mean I don’t still love her. Nor does it mean I wouldn’t be hurt if she was gone.” He turned, resting his hands on the railing, crossing his ankles. “And, before you ask, no. I wouldn’t remarry if I lost her for good.”

Julian’s eyebrow ticked. “You were pushing me to marry someone to get over Ren.”

“Yeah, I know,” Havik sighed, running his hand through his hair. “History has proven forcing anything like that on our family is never a good idea, that’s why I backed off. I’m not saying it’s something you shouldn’t ever consider, though. I’m just not going to be the cause of anyone else’s suffering, that’s all.” He looked down, picking at the paint.

Julian watched him. Havik kept a lot of things close to the vest, sidestepping personal issues and mistakes he made. The biggest being his handling of Toji and the barrier. Julian wanted to believe his father regretted the choices he made, but he had never fully taken responsibility for it, opting instead to avoid the matter completely. Kayla was much the same way, pushing people away, remaining closed off and distant. Both of them had become fairly cold and indifferent when it came to their family, but still maintained the facade of being doting parents to the public. Outside of that, they were still good rulers of the Veil and did their best to ensure nothing got in the way of that. Not even their own kids.

“Your grandfathers asked for you,” Havik said after another long pull on his cigarette. 

Julian sighed, shaking his head. Not because Hawk and Hero wanted to see him, but because of Havik’s tactful shift in conversation. They were nearing waters his father had no interest in wading through and he diverted expertly. “When?” he asked, relenting to his father’s maneuvering.

“Tomorrow morning at the house on the cliffside.”

Julian stood up straight. “That’s two days from here. Why are you telling me now?”

“I’ll open a tear for you,” Havik said with a slight roll of the eyes. 

“What do they need me for?”

Havik shrugged. “How should I know? They don’t tell me anything.” He flicked his dead butt out into the air, disintegrating it with some of his energy. “My guess is it’s a job.”

Julian watched as Sun made his way back over the veranda, his tongue lolling out in a smile. He reached down to pet him, scratching behind his ears.

“I know you just got home, but—”

“I’m fine,” Julian said quickly, knowing what Havik was about to say before he had the chance. He turned his light blue eyes on him, Havik meeting his gaze with his own ruby red ones. “I am, Dad. I don’t need rest, I don’t need to relax. I need to work, okay?”

“It’s only been three days.”

“That’s enough.” He stood up straight, heading inside with Sun at his feet. “Besides, there’s no reason for me to stick around anyway.”

Havik gripped the railing, watching his son’s strong back as he walked away. There was no missing the implication in his tone. “I know you’re still looking for him.”

Julian stopped but didn’t turn around.

“He’s dead, Julian. When are you going to accept that?”

Julian paused, his fingers curling briefly into a fist at his side. “Would you?” 

Havik said nothing, his silence the only answer Julian needed. 

“He’s alive. I know he is even if no one else wants to believe it.” He turned his head enough to shoot a determined look in his father’s direction. “I’m not giving up on him.” With that, he and Sun disappeared into the dimly lit halls of the castle.

Havik remained where he was for another several minutes, his thoughts moving deliberately and methodically through his mind as they always did. His heart went out to Julian but he was the one kid out of three he simply couldn’t relate to. Julian was impulsive, even reckless at times. He knew how to act in any given situation, knew his manners and the ceremony he was to present when he had to. Relic hunter though he may be, Julian was still a God Prince of the Veil.

Too much like Toji.

The thought came unbidden to his mind and he cast his gaze up to the two moons, the wood under his fingers splintering as he gripped the railing tightly. Toji had turned his back on the family, literally burning away all connection to them following his actions with the Reconstruction. He and Natsu had disappeared, becoming exiles of their own accord. Havik knew he had a hand in what happened to Toji, knew he had become a Devil God because Havik had ordered him to be trained and molded into the role. It had been a serious miscalculation on his part to hide so much from Toji; the Sword of Obliteration, his full role in the original rebuild plan, all of it. In hindsight, if Toji had known all of it beforehand, maybe he would have been more willing to…

He sighed, shaking his head. No…Toji made his own choices, that’s all there was to it. Just as Julian was doing now; hunting for a ghost he’d only known a short time. At some point Julian would accept the inevitable and stop exhausting himself for no reason. 

Would you?

“Fuck,” Havik exhaled softly. “Play what mind tricks you want, Havik, it doesn’t change the fact you’re still a fool…”

At least that’s something we can both agree on. Kayla’s words were harsh but not inaccurate. 

He took out his pack and lit up another cigarette, turning his mind to other matters, just as he always did when he was done dealing with things that weren’t his problem.

And you wonder why everyone in your family says you’re so cold and callous.

Havik put up his shield and smoked in silence. He had other things to worry about right now, starting with this upcoming selection. 

It was finally time to choose who would be the next High Divine.

-*-