The Sorcerer [ON HOLD]

Chapter 9

[Angelo POV]

"Where have you been?"

"Oh...it's you, Robin."  There was a brief pause, as if to test whether  he would actually need to respond, before he said, "I was out watching"

"Watching?"

He nodded. "Watching the people. It's quite...fascinating."

"How so?"

"Their feelings confuse me. When I look into their eyes it makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, then why do you look?"

This question appeared to trouble him considerably, and he didn't respond for quite some time.

"I'm not sure," he said finally.

"There's too much work to do for you to be unsure of things, don't you think?"

"Robin, I have hardly been sure of a thing in all this time."

"You're sure about us, aren't you?"

Robin's question was met with a rare grin. "Who's to say?"

Angelo awoke once again to the aftertaste of yet another inexplicable dream. They'd been occurring more and more frequently, almost nightly. They troubled him greatly, and Angelo couldn't help but feel, along with the strange atmosphere that constantly clouded his day to day interactions, something was amiss. He didn't dare confide in the Captain— he had lost all trust in him long ago. All he could do was hope that soon enough his memories would return and he would be able to understand the true reality of the situation.

Above him, Angelo heard Hunter stir and quickly closed his eyes. Lately, he'd taken to skipping breakfast because he couldn't stand the stale and awkward mood. Part of this process involved sleeping late, or at least, pretending to. Angelo found himself to be rather apathetic lately, and he lacked the energy or will to deal with others beyond necessity.

He found himself thinking, "what's the point?"

He didn't know who he was. The identity he'd been assigned and the one whose memories he was haunted by did not match up at all. He was constantly distracted by doubt, unable to focus his mind on anything other than the overwhelming confusion.

Reluctantly, he hauled himself out of bed and prepared himself for yet another day.

[Eugene POV]

Angelo was late to training again. Everyone was supposed to have been in the gym nearly 15 minutes ago, and yet, Angelo wasn't. This was the third time.

Eugene sighed to himself. As much as he didn't want it to be true, he couldn't help but think of Maria's persistent warnings. What if the shadow king truly did return? The change in Angelo over the past month was undeniable. Once a shy but hardworking newcomer eager to prove himself to the squad, Angelo had become quiet, distanced, and apathetic.

Was it his fault? Angelo had denied all Eugene's offers to be a friend. It was more than clear he had no desire to open up. But maybe if he'd been just a bit more persistent, he wouldn't feel so guilty. Maybe Angelo would be fine.

He grunted, the weights he'd been lifting forcing his arms down as he lost focus. He set them on the floor and sat up, breathing heavily.

"You ok?" Hunter asked.

"I'm fine. Just distracted is all," Eugene snapped.