Caelum

Burning

That's what it was, burning like hot white fire. Her whole body burned and ached from the stab wound. Serah clutched onto the sheets and ripped them away. She glanced at the bandages inside of her dress. She put her feet on the ground, to stand but she wobbled holding onto the bedpost.

A scowl met her features when she realized she was back in her room. Stumbling to the window she summoned her dark miasma and threw it into the room destroying almost everything.

"I've had enough of this place," she mumbled and jumped out of the window as her darkness formed below her to cushion her fall.

She yelped from the intense pain, but she stood up and began her run into the dark forest. Glancing at her wrists, she noticed the cuffs were gone and used the cover of the night for her escape.

She thought back to what happened in her domain with her Dark side

•°•°•

Black, gold, and white surrounded Serah. But the wall that shielded the two of them was still in place. Darkside was in the furthest part of her side. Strung up with chains to the wall. Serah banged the glass wall and called out for her Darkside as the pain even reached her.

Whimpering Serah called out for her again, "Darkside, are you going to leave me too?"

Darkside hazily looked up at her, 'Don't be sad little one, that blade could never kill me.'

"Then what is happening to us?"

Darkside looked at Serah's side of the wall. Her domain had begun to slowly change. Orbs of light was fluttering around.

'Your other side is awakening,' she grumbled and tendrils of darkness burst through the wall eradicating the light.

Serah spun around as the shards of the orb shattered. Bewildered she looked at the falling shards and back at her Darkside.

"How is it possible that there's light inside of me?" Her hair fell forward and she touched the few strands.

'Stupid light side' Darkside mumbles as the chains disappear from her.

Darkside leaned forward and dragged herself to the wall that separated them.

'You cannot unlock the light,' her golden eyes narrowed at Serah.

'You will die if the light within you is unleashed,'

"W-what do you mean?"

'My dear little one, I am not the only power that is trapped within you. Besides your dark essence, you also have a light.'

"Two essences? Light and dark?" Serah stumbled back as her legs felt like jelly.

Every caelestian is known to be born with the common elements: fire, water, air, and earth

The special species are the Angels and the Demons that control the Light and Darkness.

If a caelestian is born in Iracundia or Avarice, they may control the darkness or the light combined with an element. Never has a caelestian has been born with light and darkness.

But what's absurd is that Serah can not only control the darkness, but she can control the water. But she has yet to master that element having only used the darkness all her life. She does not depend on the water element so she never uses it.

"This could only mean that my mother... she's from Avarice... that could only mean she's an Angel, isn't it?" Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at Darkside.

Darkside pushed herself through the wall and sat down in front of her.

'Little one, I do not hold the answers to your questions, I wish I did though,'

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why would she abandon me? I've never even had a mother Darkside," she went closer to her and cried on her chest. Darkside rubbed her back as she held her tightly.

After a while, her cries silenced, "Darkside..."

'Yes, little one?'

"Can you help me to escape?"

Darkside sighs, 'I will help you do your best, you're still not strong enough but I shall lend you my power,' she waves her hand around her head and the darkness flows around Serah.

'Unfortunately, I cannot take over due to that wound. It affected us spiritually and I need to try and mend the wounds, so you have to do this on your own,'

Serah nods and stood up and infuses the darkness with her power.

•°•°•

Her body still burned. But it also burned with a fury. She needed answers but she knew she was still too young. She needed to grow up even faster.

She raced down the hill, past the trees until she heard twigs snapping in the distance. At that moment she was thankful for Darkside's heightened senses.

She summoned her miasma around her as a cloak to cover her scent, the new figure had jumped onto the trees and began scaling it like a snake and then began to jump from one branch to the next like some idiotic monkey.

Well in her eyes, the person appeared like a monkey. Whoever it was, the way the person moved, she knew they weren't from Obscurum.

Serah materialized a dagger and shot it toward the figure.

Dante only smirked and caught the dagger. 'What a fine young lass she is,' his darkness whispers to him.

Dante used his super speed to jump faster than her on the trees. He had yet to notice that Serah had changed directions.

"Stupid fool," Serah muttered and ran the other way.

Dante's smile widened at the chase and teleported a few feet away in front of her.

But of course, he miscalculated and Serah did not expect the lone stranger to appear in front.

Serah then stumbled onto him as they both tumbled down the hill near the lakeside.

Scratch marks and bruises marred both of them. Serah groaned without realizing that she was on top of the stranger. Upon opening her eyes, she gasps and moves away from him.

"Who are you and why are you chasing after me?" Her darkness immediately came to her rescue as it flooded around her.

Dante casually stands up and dusts his robes. "As if I'll tell you who I am," he clicked his tongue in annoyance glaring at her.

The first thing he took notice of her was her long silver hair that flowed around her and her eyes. "I never thought I'd see a demon child with silver hair,"

Serah rolled her eyes, "and I never thought to see an arrogant brat like you,"

His moonlit eyes narrowed at her, "why is a little girl like you running away from the castle?"

Serah stepped back, "I have no time for this," she mumbled and ran the other way only for him to appear in front of her again.

"Are you the king's new lap dog here to bring me back?" She scowled and he looked at her surprised.

"I am no one's slave," he says crossing his arms over his chest.

Those sudden words made her freeze in place. The boy in front of her had freedom. She could see it in the way he moved without a care in the world. His eyes though held another story, one that she didn't want to get lost in.

"well lucky you, if you're here to see the king or the royal children, the castle is that way, and I have to bid you farewell," she turned around to walk away.

Dante then appeared in front of her again teasing the little girl. "And what does that make of you?"

Serah stops and looks at him, "The king's slave,"

"Is that why you're trying to run away?"

"Trying to run? Well, I was never free, so if you could do us both a favor and forget you ever saw me,"

Dante smirks, "so what's in it for me then if I do look the other way,"

"If we ever do meet in the future, you may ask for whatever you want,"

"Are you sure you want to make a deal with a demon?"

Serah tilts her head at him as if she heard those words before but she was sure that this was their first meeting.

The pain suddenly erupted in her stomach as she clutched the wound.

"Yes I shall make this deal with you so please I ask of you, whoever you are-"

"Caelum, my name is Caelum," A simple lie

Dante was never going to reveal his identity to anyone besides the king but lying to the little girl in front of him seemed reasonable.

"Caelum," Serah whispers, "Iracia is in your debt,"

She smiled at him and he waved at her. Of course, he would come back one day for her to repay her debt but that didn't seem like it would happen.

Chains wrapped around Serah as she was lifted into the air. She did not scream or try to break free. She just sadly laughed.

"I just knew the taste for freedom was too good to be true," she whispers as tear rolls down her face.