The Lost Kingdom (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 16 [part 2]

I sat back down on the grass because I had to be still for a few seconds, to be silent, to calm all the emotions and voices that were running through my mind after what Caelus had confessed to me.

I know I should have felt fear, panic, terror, knowing that he could turn into this shadow monster at any moment and consume me in a second.

But I didn't feel that way.

'Do you want to tell me about it?'

It was very important to me that he wanted to open up, that it was his decision.

'I just told you I'm a monster who consumes people and you just want to sit down and talk?'

'Only if that's what you want.'

'You never cease to amaze me, princess. Alright, what do you want to know?'

'I'm not sure. I guess we could start at the beginning, were you born this way?' I asked and waited for him to come and sit next to me.

The night wasn't cold, it was warm, pleasant enough to counteract the awkwardness of the conversation.

'I can't be sure, maybe, I didn't turn until I was a child. I was seven when it first happened.'

He was only seven the first time he turned into shadows. I couldn't believe it.

It must have been terrifying.

Discovering at such a young age that you have a power like that must have been extremely difficult and scary.

That answer raised a thousand more questions.

When he realised my questions weren't finished, he came over to where I was and sat down opposite me.

The tips of our feet brushed against each other, showing how close we were.

'I never told anyone the whole truth,' he said.

'You don't have to if...'

'I never told anyone until now. I want you to know me, Gaia.'

He was letting me into his heart, it was a gift like no other. He was giving me all his trust.

'Ask whatever you want about the monster.'

'You're not a monster, stop calling yourself that. You were born with a power you didn't want and can't control, that doesn't make you a monster.'

An expression of gratitude came over his face, as if he really appreciated that those were my words.

'I can't help but think of you as a child, discovering that power. Did your parents know?'

It seemed like a bit of an absurd question, but I had realised that I had never heard of his family.

Although I knew him on the surface, I didn't know anything personal about him. And if this was the time to meet him, I wouldn't miss the opportunity.

The question made him wince, which I thought would keep him from telling me more. But he really wanted to share everything with me.

'Parents. What a strange word, I can't remember the last time I used it. Parents. No, they didn't know. They found out when I did.'

'And how did they react? Did they help you with that? I suppose...'

'Don't suppose, it's... they're gone now, okay? So it's irrelevant.'

I didn't want to press the issue any further.

I knew what it was like to lose a parent, how painful it was to talk about it. I would respect his decision, even if I felt I needed to know more about where he came from.