"I don't want to leave her. I can't lose her again, Kade," she whispered in his embrace.
"She'll be okay, Mom. I'll do the infusion and have a chat with Kai. Go rest for a little bit. I won't be done until two or three hours from now. I think a nap would do wonders for you. I'll let Violet call for you if anything changes," he consoled.
"Violet...as in Ryder's Mother? The Queen of Minato is here?" I asked.
"Yes. I was visiting when I received the call from Arthur," the Queen disclosed.
"Ah. You should rest, your Majesty." I could see her tiredness in her eyes. I couldn't imagine what it felt like for her to have to sit patiently on the transport ship to arrive moments before her only daughter tried to take her life.
"Please, Kai. You and the others can call me Catherine, just like when you were young." She gave a small smile before turning her attention to Kade who moved out of her embrace, but kept his hands in hers.
"And okay. I will go take a quick nap. I need to contact your father. I want that mark removed immediately and I promised we'd do it together. He can at least leave the expedition he's on temporarily," Catherine explained.
"Who will cover?" Kade asked.
"King Akiyama is with him. He'll take charge in Arthur's absence. No one will dare go against his orders. I know your father well enough that if I tell him what happened, he won't hesitate to take the next ship and head back," Catherine replied.
"My father. Ah, he did mention he had an expedition the last time I contacted him. He most likely will teleport the King," I pointed out.
Catherine smiled and nodded. "Most likely, but we shall see. I don't know how bad the situation is over there. Either way, Arthur will be here soon. I'll go rest for now. Please take care of your sister for me, okay?" Catherine gave Kade another hug.
"Of course, Mom. I didn't wait sixteen cycles to not ensure her safety and good health. I'll continue to monitor her and we’ll put her on 24/7 observation," he reassured her.
She nodded, bidding me farewell, placing a kiss on Mako's forehead. She turned her attention to Nightmare who was still whimpering. "Nightmare, don't be sad. Rosalina is in a dark place right now. She still loves you and didn't mean to hurt you. Just let her calm down and rest. She doesn't want you leaving her side, so don't listen to her attempts to push you away, okay?" Catherine explained, petting her.
"Mew," she whimpered a reply, her tails curling up around her as she nestled as close to Makoto as possible. It wasn't long till her tails stopped glowing, signifying she'd fallen asleep.
"Call me if you need me," Catherine announced before leaving the room.
"Bye Mom," Kade called out.
Once the door closed he sighed. I stood up, facing him before I went on my knee and bowed my head.
"Kai." He sounded shocked by my actions.
"I'm sorry. This wasn't the family reunion any of us had anticipated. I checked all week and saw nothing change. We were supposed to come to Heila safely. Regardless, there's no excuse I can give to show how sorry I am. I represent my fellow star knights and will apologize to the King, Queen, and Xavier when I get the opportunity."
"Rise, Kai Akiyama," Kade commanded, power flowing off his words.
I rose to my feet, keeping my head low.
"Kai. Everyone is as astonished as you. Your father had been keeping track as well, and he hadn't seen anything. Everyone is shocked and from Nightmare's behavior and Vinzent, the Starlight gods are just as confused with the change of events," Kade explained.
"Vinzent is a Starlight god?" I questioned, an image of the tall, silver-eyed male who always seemed to be at Winterlya’s side.
"Yes. He's Winterlya's familiar. We had a discussion before I noticed Mako's heart rate shoot up and go into a frenzy. I didn't...think she would..." He trailed off, looking at his sister with sad eyes.
"Makoto's been through a lot. Some things I doubt she wanted to share with us. If you're saying this happened before at the facility, I can guarantee Blair Aspen made her feel like shit for it," I exclaimed.
Kade nodded. "She was supposed to be discarded."
"What." I blinked as my ears perked up at the word. Discarded?
"She was deemed useless. To King Aspen, she had no more worth. From the records, it disclosed that Makoto had six rotations to recover. They did vigorous physiotherapy and rehab without allowing her to rest; her nerves didn’t have the time to recover from the trauma. Before the set date, she got extremely sick, but continued the therapy. She couldn't meet Aspen's expectations and he ordered her to be killed the next day," Kade explained, taking a steady breath before continuing.
"When I analyzed the notes he had handwritten, he had attempted to write void on Mako's profile papers, but he stopped. I guess he either changed his mind or couldn't finish. The next set of papers is a report of Makoto being found bleeding to death from attempted suicide. The next six rotations her spirits and Midnight who was recorded as her split personality took over while Mako seemed to be dormant. On the seventh rotation, Makoto finally woke up and was able to walk using magic. It took another cycle until her nerves and sense of feeling returned and she was able to function accordingly. She still had to participate in arena training, but Aspen had requested they lower her sessions until they were one hundred percent sure she was okay. So from eighteen to twenty-one she was given special treatment and returned to her facility duties at twenty-two. Only a rotation and a bit later were when you guys infiltrated and saved her," Kade concluded.
"Wow..." I didn't have any other words.
The others and I knew how bad the facility was and the effects it could have on the survivors like Marcus, but I didn't know the extent of how much Makoto had gone through.
"She went through all of this...yet she's able to laugh and smile and be so supportive and positive in life," I whispered, looking at Makoto and blinking back tears.
"Makoto is selfless. She was always like that. Even when she didn't understand the concept of doing good and bad, she would always think about others and wanted the best for them. She would never think about her needs. I bet when she wakes she'll apologize for the pain she caused everyone else rather than acknowledge how hurt she is. I don't know about anyone else, but if I was in Makoto's position having dealt with this situation in an environment that thought she was useless and a burden...I would do the same. As selfish as it may sound to others, the most painful thing is to hear your loved ones reject you when something happens to you that renders you vulnerable. I think that's what she's afraid of."
"We'd never cast her away!" I yelled.
"I'm aware of that, Kai. But this is a mind game. And from what I heard from Daniel, Makoto and Midnight were having issues with him. I'm not blaming Daniel for what occurred, but the voices in your mind that try to bring you down will bring your insecurities and deepest fears. All of that piles up and then hits you all at once. Either way, it’s something you and your knights need to discuss if you want her to recover mentally. She needs all of you to be on board. Not fifty or eighty percent. She needs one hundred percent. And I won't allow anyone who doesn't love my sister purely to come near her," he vowed.
"Did you ask Daniel?" I questioned. I knew Daniel loved Makoto and was struggling with what had happened with Claire. I didn't want him being penalized for his past.
"I have."
"And."
"He loves my sister and vows to fix this," Kade replied.
I sighed in relief, glad he'd found his conviction.
"I already know you love my sister, Kai. I don't need you to confirm it." Kade walked over to the other side, setting up the machines before he began to peel off the stickers on the heart sensory probes.
"Thanks. Do you think we can heal Makoto's legs?" I asked.
Kade began placing the probes on Mako's chest, making sure not to disturb either her or Nightmare in the process. "Yes. But we need to start this week. I don't know how Makoto's going to respond to starting therapy so soon, but an event is appro
aching and she may be forced to get involved."
"Forced to be involved?"
"Ask Daniel. I need to start this magic infusion. Winterlya and Karen should be back here in a few moments." Kade finished placing the remaining probes, walked back to the machine, and began tapping on the screen till Mako's vitals popped up.
I frowned immediately at her BP and magic levels, which were the lowest out of the set of vital signs.
"Has this happened before?"
"Yes. The first person is deceased and the identity of the other survivor can’t be disclosed. I'll talk with my parents and see if we can request this person to assist. For now, if we continue to give her magic infusions and center the magic on her legs, we could help speed up the process. We just have to ensure she doesn't try using her legs. If my sister is as stubborn as she was when she was younger, that will be a tall order," Kade acknowledged.
"She's still stubborn." I grinned.
"Then you need to talk with the others. Violet went after Ryder and I've called for Daniel to help me out with the infusions. When you leave, let Marcus and Elias know what's going on," Kade instructed.
I nodded. "Will do," I agreed.
"Go inform the others and get some rest as well. I'll call you if Daniel or I need to rest. I'll keep all of you posted," Kade concluded.
I nodded, glancing at Makoto one more time. "Stay strong, Firefly," I whispered. I said goodbye to Kade, walking out as Karen and Winterlya returned with a cart full of different pieces of equipment. I gave them quick bows in acknowledgment before I closed the door. I let out a deep sigh, my heart hammering against my chest.
I didn't want to show how afraid I was, but I was frightened. If I would’ve arrived a second later, everything would have changed. We wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding fast enough before Makoto passed out. And that would have been the end. She wouldn't have woken up.
I began to take slow steps, not knowing where I was going till I bumped into someone.
"Kai?" Marcus sounded astonished.
I blinked, noticing I was outside the castle walls and somehow made my way to the sunflower garden.
"Kai. What's wrong?" he asked placing his hands on my shoulders.
I didn't want to show him the fear in my teary eyes. He shouldn’t see how afraid I was. I remembered every detail of my mother's death and now seeing Makoto's flash before my eyes, it was finally hitting me.
"Is Makoto alive?" Marcus questioned.
I gave him a slow nod.
He sighed, pulling me into a hug and rubbing my back. "You saved Makoto, but saw what happened if you didn't react fast enough, right?" he whispered.
I sniffed, my tears falling.
"You did good, Kai. Don't cry. Makoto won't have the same fate. We won't allow it. I know you like to act strong around everyone else, but we're here for you. We'll make sure Makoto doesn't give up. We’ll push forward together." Marcus rubbed my back as I sobbed into his shoulder.
Yes. We’ll strive forward toward the unknown. Regardless of anything thrown at us, if we stay together...we’ll survive this. We’ll survive the darkness.
TWO DAYS LATER
~RYDER~
I walked down the hall, looking for a certain angel shifter. I turned the corner, noticing the ash blond hair entering the training room. I took a deep breath, knowing he wasn't going to like me interrupting his training, but after waking up and talking to Mother, I wasn't going to delay this conversation any longer. My conviction was set in stone and I wouldn't quiver in the shadows any longer.
Kade had given me the details of what had happened after I'd run off. Makoto had been in a deep sleep since. So far, only Midnight had made an appearance, but she'd fallen back asleep within a minute.
Kade, Winterlya, and Karen encouraged Makoto’s rest, but were worried she'd gone dormant. All we could do now was wait and see if Midnight or any of her other spirits took over, before we'd know if our suspicions were true.
I had somewhat of a plan, but I needed all of the guys on board and that started with Daniel.
I opened the training room door, my eyes locking on Daniel who was splashing his face with water. He reached out for the towel on the side of the oversized marble sink, drying his face as he rose from his bent over position.
He lowered the towel to give me a confused look. It took him a moment of blinking before noticing it was me.
"If it's taking you that long to recognize me, you need your glasses," I presented.
"I'm just tired," he defended.
I lifted my five fingers up. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Do I really need to answer this? I need to train."
"Your ass isn't training until you answer my question," I argued.
He rolled his eyes, then squinted. "Seven."
"Five." I countered.
"Let me try again."
"How could you even say seven when a hand only has five fingers," I complained.
"You probably did a magic trick or some shit."
"Admit it, Daniel. You’re fucking exhausted and it's affecting your vision. I don't even know how you got here without bumping into anything."
"I train here every day. I don't need to see to get here," he mumbled.
"You fully admitted you can't see shit."
"Did not."
"You know, you suck at admitting shit. And that needs to end today."
"What is this even about? I have to train."
"YOU’RE NOT TRAINING," I yelled.
He froze in place, looking shocked at me snapping. I didn't have a short temper, but I couldn't allow him to run anymore and I was fucking tired of him being a coward.
"We’re fixing this shit now, Daniel. Didn't you hear about what happened?" I snarled.
"I was informed. I know Makoto tried to kill herself. Kade explained the situation and I helped all day when it occurred but was forced to rest yesterday," he replied, sternly.
"Then you can figure out why I'm here."
"..."
I was ready to open my mouth when the door opened. We both turned to see Kai, Marcus, and Elias walk in, closing and locking the door behind them.
"Guess we’re all accounted for," Kai announced.
I frowned at his exhausted face. I figured he hadn't been sleeping after what he'd foreseen. He must have been dealing with his past and his mom's death.
"Elias and Marcus. Are you guys allowed to be here?" Daniel asked.
Marcus shrugged and Elias looked away. Kai took a step forward.
"A little magic and Eli's double is tucked in bed sleeping thanks to a blue-eyed angel shifter." Kai grinned.
"Kade?" I asked, shocked.
"He agrees we need to meet," Kai replied.
Marcus nodded. "He put a temporary spell on me. I won't shift for a few hours. He said he can't do it often since it drains him. But he thought this meeting was long overdue," Marcus explained.
Thank the Starlight gods. Now let's hope nothing goes wrong.
"I'm here if you need me," Stryker reassured me.
I smiled. Thanks, Stryker.
"We need to talk. Marcus and Elias, are you up to date?" I asked as I crossed my arms, ready to begin the long overdue conversation.
They exchanged looks before nodding, their expression showing their seriousness.
"Yes," they both replied.
"Good. I've made copies of Makoto's file. I want everyone to read it," I began.
"I've already read it," Daniel whispered.
We all turned to him.
"What?"
"When we arrived and Makoto was stabilized, I noticed the file during shift duty. It was night and everyone else was asleep. I thought it would help us find a way to heal Makoto faster. I didn't realize a similar situation had occurred when she was at the facility. I read the file twice," he confessed.
We were all silent before Marcus spoke up.
"You didn't think to tell us?" he questioned.
I could sense the ange
r leak off his voice, making me thankful he had a spell to prevent him from shifting.
"I planned to. I just..." Daniel trailed off.
"Did you tell anyone?" Elias questioned.
"Michael."
"So, you were okay with telling Michael, which I have no issues with, but you couldn't tell the rest of us? When did you find this out?" Marcus questioned.
"Five days after we arrived," he admitted.
I opened my mouth but Kai lifted his hand to stop me.
"Kade informed me two days ago that he told Daniel to tell all of us at the same time. He didn't think it was wise to do it through our knight bond. I guess Daniel must have been waiting for the right opportunity to gather us, but with what's been going on in the last week or so, that opportunity never arose," Kai defended.
I took a deep breath, calming myself.
"If Kade advised him to wait, we can't judge his secrecy," Stryker pointed out.
Doesn't mean I like it. He still should have told one of us so we could inform the others. It's better if we're all on the same page. Especially as Makoto's knights.
"Sorry," Daniel whispered.
I could sense his regret, causing me to groan in frustration. "We need to start talking to one another again! I get it. We're all dealing with shit. But our past is tearing us apart. I'm tired of running away. I'm tired of hiding behind closed doors and not sharing that I'm struggling. We can't be useful to Makoto if we aren't open with one another," I exclaimed. I stared at each one of them.
Kai sighed. "I agree with Ryder. Makoto...is in a really dark place. And from what I can see..." He trailed off.
We all turned our attention to him.
"Kai, continue," I whispered, using a softer tone.
He nodded. "Makoto's dormant. Kade noticed her absence in a recent scan. I asked him an hour ago for confirmation."
We all frowned.
"What does that mean?" Elias asked.
I noticed his eyes were flickering, cueing me in that EliaseAnne was listening in.
"It means Makoto’s in a deep sleep within herself. Think of it like how Midnight seemed to be entrapped in Mako as a split personality or back when we were younger and Stryker was in Ryder's body for a long duration before Ryder returned. Makoto's in the same state," Kai explained.
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