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25. Answers and questions

Fharan had a secret. Something he hadn't told anyone, not his parents, not his aunt, not his captors and not even Afrit.

The appearance of the other had startled him quite a bit, but somehow, amidst all the chaos, all the things that had transpired, he had managed to keep this one small thing to himself. Had hidden it so deep inside him that it had become invisible even to the prying eyes of his bond.
He had to admit that he was not the best at acting, he simply stayed quiet for most of the time.
Instead of lying it was easier if no one questioned him in the first place.
Still, people often found his calmness unnatural, unnerving at times, but that was only because they didn't know.......
Because they didn't know about... that....

Fharan had known for a very long time now that he was different, had known since he was a small child.
It had been one of the reasons he hadn't bothered much about the indifference with which his parents had treated him, the scorn he had received from all sides since he was little.
It had hurt, of course, still did, but he managed.

Sometimes he wondered how life would have turned out if things had been just a little bit different. Wondered why he even bothered to fight back when it seemed as if fate itself was dead set on killing him off.

What was it that kept him going?
Was it revenge?
Was it stubbornness?

For a long time he had hoped to die.
He had cursed his kidnappers for not killing him, had sometimes even taunted them to do so.
What had changed since then? Or had he changed?
Was it Afrit?
Fharan didn't know and tried as much as possible not to think too deeply about it in fear of what would turn up. It was better like that, safer.
He had an inkling that all that had something to do with the reason of why he had been kidnapped, why he had survived. That all of this was connected.

Aeithalis was right, he had known about him before he even spoke his name, it was not his real one anyway.
Fharan also knew why there hadn't been a single star the night he was born, knew that something else besides Sirayins blessing, the bond and his secret was burning deep inside him, something that was supposed to be as impossible as his secret itself.
He just didn't know why he knew.

His thought wandered into directions he hadn't touched since Afrit had appeared.
'He has changed things quite a bit', he mused. For some reason he found that fact rather amusing.

Fharan was aware that Aeithalis gaze had never left him, but he ignored it.
Picking up his cup again, he let his thoughts flow freely before carefully constructing his answer.
Even though he was unable to feel his own magic he somehow didn't lose the ability sense magic. That was the reason why he knew that the other was not to be underestimated.
He had felt the change in the air as Aeithalis asked the question. It was not only his gaze that was on Fharan but the whole space appeared to be now solely focused on him, closing in on him.
The redhead did notice the darkening atmosphere, but did not let it bother him. He appeared as relaxed as before, calmly placing the cup back down before finally speaking.

"I think I have read about them before, the cursed ones I mean.
You called them Hanju, no?
The belief has its origin in the legend of the stars if I recall correctly."
He paused for a moment.
"I presume that you know, or at least suspect that my bond is one of them, even though he is not human, since you took the time to highlight their eye colour.
That also means you do not think that the hunters came for him, either because they don't know of him or because they were deliberately sent after me.
Am I correct so far?"

Aeithalis nodded. He was fascinated by the younger ones sharpness.
He had still not answered the question though.
The atmosphere lightened just a bit, but that was that.

Reality

Cir was old for human standards.
In the ranks of the shrika he was barely old enough to be considered 'old'.
Still, he had been around for at least a century now, had trained his senses and his power, rivalling even his pier's.
It was hard to say how much stronger he was than the average shrike for his kind tended to prefer isolation over company, but the ones he had met that could rival his power had been few.
He seldomly felt threatened, but life had taught him to not let his guard down too easily.

He had developed an interest in the black shrika as soon as he had heard of him. The colouring of a shrika was almost as important as their race, it had a high influence on their chance of survival after all.
Cir had anticipated the others involvement with humans, he had been spotted in their capital after all but he was surprised about his capabilities.
Rasha's report of the soul bond had right out shocked him. He knew of the females strong dislike for humans but also of her levelheadedness. It still came unexpected when she insisted on inviting the other male, even if it meant giving him some leeway regarding his bond.
That was one of the reasons of why he decided to visit the peculiar pair himself, when Kashun came to him and made his way towards the academy.

He immediately sensed that something was amiss as he reached the door.
Cir frowned a little and simply pushed the door open, ignoring the protesting groan of the lock.
The first thing he noticed was the dimness of the room. It was much darker than it should have been and there was an unmistakable tension in the air.
But there was something more he noticed with mild interest.
"A rift.", he murmured, "That's not something you see every day."
He slowly stepped towards the also slightly demolished bathroom door, stopping next to Rasha, only giving the surprised female a brief glance.

A tall man, seemingly the cause of the unnatural darkness, was standing in the smaller room, surrounded by clusters of black mist.
He stood with his back to them, one hand stretched out, keeping a tight grip on the neck of the hooded figure before him.