Xelqua Rising || The Lost One AU

56. Coming Of Age

"It is his birthday once again." Miesall said. "It almost surprises me how fast he has grown. Humans have such short lifespans though, so I am not sure why I am surprised."

Xelqua watched as fireworks lit up the night sky, celebrating the birthdays of The Convex. Since there were two vessels now, the Friends of Vexes celebrated in a two day event. The celebrations on the first night were always the highlight of the holiday, the climax of the festivities coming around midnight, when the focused shifted from Ryan to Cub. 

Hundreds of fireworks blew up, each one in various shades of blue and in many different arrangements.

In the center of all of this attention, of course, was The Convex themselves. Both Ryan and Cub had grown to be handsome young men, Ryan especially so. Even without the Vexes, he was athletic. Strong, good looking, having magic and the love of everyone. Being able to change the world, making a strong positive impact everywhere he went. Having a family, a pet and a friend that he could share anything and everything with. He had it all and then some.

Miesall turned his back to Xelqua, for he knew it would be like this for not too much longer. "A human is said to come to age at age eighteen." He said, his voice hollow and empty. He didn't say what it meant, for he had been saying it the better part of eighteen years already.

"I know..." Xelqua said, lowering his gaze to the stone flooring. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them. It hadn't even happened yet, and yet he found that it was as though someone had stabbed him right through the heart. A selfish part of him wanted to ask if there was anything they could do, if they could somehow mitigate the poor fate Ryan had, but he already knew the answer. He had never asked, but he had been told by Miesall many times that nothing could be done.

And so, he watched on.

—

Ryan stood on top of a platform, much like he always did. He was accompanied by Cub. The two stood at opposite sides of the platform, the crowd breaking down into two lines. The sun was well above their heads, the heat beating against their backs. Ryan wore a brown hat with a large lip on it, protecting his head as well as his eyes. The younger of the pair had decided to tough it out, his black hair just about scorching him. Even though it was autumn, it felt still felt like summer.

Yet another person appeared before The Convex, having waited all this time in line. It was an elderly lady, her hand tightly gripping a cane. A guard had to help her climb up the steps so she could present herself properly. Even standing in place, she looked as though she might tip over. Ryan guessed that she was about ninety years old.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, forcing a smile.

The old lady did not respond, instead slowly putting a hand in her pocket to retrieve something. Ryan blinked a few times, waiting. The guard eyed her suspiciously, but The Convex didn't mind. Even if she were try to kill him, he would easily overpower her and recover without even thinking. At long last, the lady pulled out a small bag, the drawstrings drawn as tight as they could.

'Oh, it's our payment!' A Vex cheered.

'I wonder what's in it!'

'I hope it's diamonds.'

'And I hope it's a lot.'

Ryan frowned. 'In that bag? There's no way there's that many.'

Ryan felt a Vex pop out of his side. Anytime he spoke to the Vexes, one of them would rush over to Cub to repeat what he had said. In a similar manner, whenever Cub said anything, they would relay the message to Ryan. In doing so, it made them nearly telepathic with one another. It was what made them a single system; one Convex rather than two.