Queen Of The Ventils

XXIII

Little A/N: This chapter will switch POV's between Krel and Lunalis, starting with Krel. The asterisks (*****) will show you when they change POVs. I'm sorry for the confusion, but trust me. It'll make sense as it goes on, and it makes things a lot easier for me being the writer. That's all for now. Hope you enjoy it!

I gripped the side of the sink shakily, breathing heavy and ragged from running. I didn't stop until I had made it to the comforting confines of the boy's bathroom. I needed to get out of there; I didn't know why, but something about being king, even if it was merely symbolic, sent my stomach plummeting and my heart racing.

I hadn't even thought of my lineage since Aja had left. After she was gone, I pushed it to the back of my memories, though I could never forget it. I tried to tell myself that I was doing this because Earth was my home; that all my friends were here, and not back on Akiridion-5.

But, no matter how I tried to justify it, the fact of the matter was that I was afraid. Afraid of being a leader. Afraid of the weight I would have to carry. Afraid of navigating the world without my parent's guidance.

My sister was stronger than I was. Much, much stronger, no doubt. She returned to rule an entire planet by herself after her brother's cowardice overtook him and made him stay on Earth. I didn't deserve to be called a royal; not now, and not ever.

Sighing, I looked myself in the mirror. Bronze skin, and wavy hair like coffee that hung limply at my collarbone. Pointed nose, high cheekbones, huge, round brown eyes that were filled with fear. I was a human now. There was no way I could go back.

Sighing, I turned to leave the bathroom, when a bright light zipped in front of my face. "Huh," I murmured, reaching out to touch it. "What is-" I gasped in alarm as it zipped around the side of my head and flew into my ear. Instantly, everything went black.

***********

"Krel!" I screamed, tearing through the maze of delusional humans and lockers. "Krel! Krel, if you can hear me, come to me! KREL!"
He can't hear you, Eclipse sang maliciously. By now, the pixies should have taken over his mind.
Eclipse, please, I begged mentally, still combing through the humans to see if I could find the one Latino in the bunch. My Latino. Not today, of all days.

Why ever not? Now seems like a perfect time for a friendly conversation.
You don't even know the meaning of the word, I growled in response, deciding to ignore her. "Krel! Krel, please answer me!"

**********

"Krel, where are you?!" I could dimly recognise Lunalis' voice calling for me, but she seemed so distant, I brushed it off as my brain playing tricks on me. Though, if her voice was a simple trick, then my mind must be a funhouse.

Instead of the boy's bathroom, I was back on Akiridion-5. Akiridions with ethereal blue skin and black bodysuits wandered around, chatting and waving to one another. Holographic ads for freshly made flexol shone brightly in the streets. A few skeltags were skittering around, occasionally burrowing into a collection of broken electronics.

My human disguise had been lifted, and I was once again an Akiridion. Electric blue hair swept up into a gravity-defying spike, black bodysuit, and my second pair of arms had returned. I allowed myself to stretch the limbs I had been lacking for quite some time, eager to explore my home once again.

Though, strangely, as I walked down the streets of Akiridion-5, no one paid any attention to me. Nobody stood up and waved, made eye contact, or bowed as I passed them by. I frowned, confused. Usually, when Aja snuck out of the palace, she would be assaulted by fans and regular citizens, even when she was wearing a hood over her face. Now, as I walked by hundreds of faces, no one even gave me a second glance. "Krel?"

I whipped around at the sound of my name and gasped. My older sister, Aja, was standing just a few feet away. Immediately, my heart started beating faster and my throat closed up. I wanted to see her again so badly, and here she was. Before I knew it, tears had welled up in my eyes and I was squeezing her in a tight embrace.

"I missed you so much, Sister," I mumbled, burying my face in her shoulder. "It feels like it's been keltons since I've seen you."
"Little Brother," she sighed, pushing me away. "Why didn't you come back to Akiridion-5?"

"A-Aja, you know why," I faltered. "I had a family on Earth, I-"
"You have a family here too, Krel," she growled. "Your sister. You left me. You left the only home we had ever known to stay on that stupid mudball planet!"
"Aja-"

"You left our planet in ruins! You ran away when we needed you the most! You are nothing but a coward!"
"Aja, please," I pleaded, backing away as she seemed to grow taller and taller by the second, until she towered over me. I realized I was back in my human form, and Aja was looking down on me with utter disgust. "Sister-"

"I see no brother of mine, you cowardly Larvox," she snarled. "All I see is a weak, pathetic human who has no place on my planet."
"Aja," I cried, voice cracking. "Please, Aja, no..." I curled up into a ball on the streets and started to cry.

**********

"Krel," I shouted, turning the corner of the hallway. "KREL!!!! I swear by the Sun and Moon, if you don't answer me in five seconds, I'm going to-"

I instantly froze, alert and listening, for I thought I had heard the gentle noise of someone sobbing coming from the boy's bathroom. Bursting through the doors, I was met with the sorry sight of Krel, and sweet Eclipse, he looked awful.

He was curled up into a tiny ball under the sink, whimpering and rocking back and forth. Tears were running down his face in waterfalls, and he was hiccuping and whispering little pleas through his sobs."No...please no. Don't leave me...Aja....Sister. Please..don't leave me."

"Oh, Krel," I murmured, tilting his head towards me, but he barely noticed and continued crying. "Okay. I'm really sorry about this, but it has to be done." Rearing back a hand, I paused for a brief moment. "This is going to hurt. A lot," I warned him, before slapping him across the face. Hard.

But, to my surprise, nothing happened. He didn't jolt awake at the sting of my slap, and no pixie flew out from his ears. He was still under a trance. I backhanded him, and he still didn't wake up. "No...Aja, please don't hurt me," he shrank away from me. Great. Now he thought whoever he was hallucinating about was slapping him.

"What can I do...?" I whispered as I watched Krel steadily get worse as he whimpered and shrank away from me when I brushed my fingers against his hand. You can let me help you, Eclipse's voice echoed in my ear.

Are you forgetting that I am a goddess? I can let you into his mind, let you see what he sees, for only a brief window of time. That pixie won't come out on its own; it's up to you to stop the illusion. But, to use my power, you must be able to control it.

Why in the name of, well, you, would I ever willingly allow you to take over my mind? I asked, all the while trying to get Krel to calm down. Because this time you aren't using me for your own selfish gain. She caught me off guard with that.

Krel and I had grown quite close; after all, he had been the first one to forgive me after Insanity had attacked, even after she nearly killed him. Twice. And the fact that we both lived together did guarantee a lot of interaction and time for socialization. But there was something else. A little flame that tickled my stomach whenever I thought of his smile, or laugh, or whenever he did something stupid (which, arguably, I did as well).

I shook my head. There was no time for debating with Eclipse. "Do it," I whispered.
As you wish, she purred, and instantly, magic surged through my veins, my fingertips glowing with nebula-like magic. Digging my fingers into his scalp, I gaped suddenly as Eclipse's magic sucked me into his mind.