"Try to focus your powers on one vital piece of thought. Something you couldn't forget about even if you tried."

The instructing sound of Rheynoak's voice sung through the room, the pace of his boots whispering against the cold, scratched floors as he walked around in his ever teasing pace. The thick material of his cloak kissed the floors gently, whispering past her arm as he walked on.

The BloodBone's mind was turning, spinning as she tried and pried the lock off her heavy secrets to dig into the deepest, darkest parts of herself that even she was too afraid to meet. Yet nothing but a black hole of emptiness sat in the middle of her chest, aching for something she knew she was missing.

She opened her eyes once to see the wooden bowl filled to the brim with mortal blood sitting still on a short, crafted pillar had not moved one bit. The scarlet liquid swayed still, ripples tickling the surface of the blood. A deep hunger settled within the Witch's stomach, seeing her snack look at her before her eyes.

"Curses" she hissed at herself, inspecting everyone else in the room. Creatures ranging from hybrids to Dark Magic Summoners had their eyes closed, little sparkles of magic surrounding the objects they were instructed to move. Even Irisel, the girl that had accompanied Venix at lunch had managed to move a few drops of water in front of her, being an Elementalist herself.

"Concentrate your powers to one area of your mind and attempt to control the source of your powers in front of you." The voice of the tribe leader shrilled into Venix's ears once again, the edge of her sharpened iron nails digging deep into her thick dress.

Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes once again. A silence filled her mind, wandering, searching for that missing piece she desperately needed for that aching pain to stop but nothing materialized to fix it, leaving an open wound to throb for god knows how long. The magic within her body was slipping through her veins, a powerful source that would live with her for the rest of her immortal life. Yet there was not one thing she could beam her focus on, her mind a kaleidoscope of secrets, stars, and darkness

Her senses were dormant, her mind peaceful as she slowly gave up the hope of ever truly controlling her powers. Letting her eyes fall into a deep slumber, it was only the sensation of her red cloak, held together by a golden barrette shaped like an eye in the middle, tightening around her neck that snapped her out of the dark abyss that was her mind, her wild amethyst eyes flying open.

Cold hands were braced around her neck, a powerful force pulling her cloak back to choke the air out of her throat as she so desperately tried to keep the air from escaping. A laugh roared in her ear, a despicable voice whispering, "Just another day of Venix being useless. What a great example."

Mocking laughter rang throughout the room even as Venix sunk her nails into the person's fingers and managed to pry off their deadly grip, a snarl emanating from her lips. Her eyes concentrated on the bowl of blood in front of her, a frown pulling on her lips. Looking up, she saw the stalking tall figure of Rheynoak brushing past her, keeping his head low from laughter.

"Says the person whose magic can be broken by one simple spell by me" the Witch snarled back at him, her gaze focusing on the way one of his fingers twitched at her remark. Venix's gaze temporarily moved over to Lucien who stood in the back, a book in his hand and a pen in the other as he scribbled down notes.

His figure never moved, his eyes never pausing to meet her gaze as he kept writing, a frown nudging on his lips. The laughter stopped, a dozen pair of eyes staring right back at her. Even Rheynoak himself had stopped in his tracks, his tall body turning around as hazel eyes locked on to her gaze.

"I could break your neck with one simple twist of my powers" he hissed, kneeling down to meet her sitting position. His voice was unnerving, hoarse as a deep frown etched his way across his lips. "Don't test me Venix. Or I will bury you in a shallow grave next to your pathetic parents."

Venix stopped, the mention of her parents conjuring up memories she pushed to the back of her mind. Memories she never wanted to remember again. A chill raced down her spine, the aching wound in her chest only growing bigger the more she pondered on the thought that she was once again alone in this cruel world.

Her magic twisted inside of her, flowing through her veins and down her muscles as it intertwined with the reeling ball of fire-hot anger that never seemed to stop growing inside her soul. Violet eyes darted around the dark room, inspecting the small enclosed building they all used for power concentration and mental exercises before looking at all the people in her class, including Irisel who stared at her with a pungent fear in her eyes.

"What's the matter Venix?" Rheynoak pushed in an amused tone, cold fingers dancing across the back of her neck, pushing strands of bone white hair across her shoulder. "Can't stand the thought of your family dead and gone? Pathetic and weak?"

His questions rang through her mind, awaking more memories she chose to suppress inside her soul. Iron nails dug deep into the velvet material of her dress, the first trickle of unwanted tears pooling in her eyes. Whispers of the Witch's ancient language sung throughout her mind, warning her to calm down, chain her anger and use it for something greater.

Yet Rheynoak's voice, his presence, and foul words sparked a fire inside the BloodBone's soul that never seemed to settle. His words pushed her over an edge she was already standing on, blazing hazel eyes staring into her soul, challenging her to fight back.

"Stop it. Just stop" Venix begged, violet eyes concentrated on the bowl of mortal blood that sat still on its short pillar. The scarlet hue of the blood combined with the ravenous hunger her anger brought out of her created a source of instability she couldn't control, her powers ready to unleash into a spiraling catastrophe.

"Stop what? Telling you the fact that no one in this world would want you? That your curse of existing is the reason why everyone around you is dead?" the tribe leader whispered in her ear, letting his fingers trail down the curve of her shoulder down to her arm. "That you're the reason why Onyx may never make it back alive?"

Another harsh breath escaped the BloodBone's lips, the color of fire heating her cheeks as she struggled to hold back her tears. Eyes, too many pairs of eyes witnessed the scene and not a single soul spoke out to help her. "Stop it! Just Stop you notorious bastard!" she pleaded once again, planting her palms on the dry ground as she whipped her head towards his direction. "Don't you ever mention my parents or Onyx ever again. I will rip you apart limb to limb and bury your bones at the bottom of the ocean."

Silence. Absolute silence. The rest of the members in the room only passed gazes towards everyone but her, whispering chants and gossip in each other's ears in hushed tones and languages she couldn't understand. Lucien had even managed to snap his attention from his notes to take in the scene, ignoring everyone else as he saw the tears glistening in the Witch's eyes even as she held her intense stare with Rheynoak.

Knowing what was coming, Lucien closed his book and set it down on the floor, taking a few steps towards Rheynoak. "Rheynoak, stop. This is going too far" he pleaded, seeing the fire burn within the Witch's eyes as she tried too hard to contain her emotions.

A soft laugh escaped out of the tribe leader's lips, ignoring his right-hand man as he continued to taunt her. His hazel eyes turned away from the wicked violet eyes of Venix as he let his fingers fall down to her elbow and towards her wrist. The single gesture made her curl her fingers deep into her dress, snarling at him with sharp canines. "Of course you would kill me" Rheynoak said, letting a sly smile slip on his lips. "Everyone around you always dies."

The Hell Siphon leaned into her ear, his hot breath grazing past her flesh. "Vos sunt a maledicto sunt. Etiam ut ut mortem."

It sounded as if ice had snapped underneath someone's foot, a trigger going off in her mind as his last few words in her own language managed to make her fall. The silence was broken underneath the BloodBone's pained scream and cries as she buried her fingers deep within her hair. Movements too quick for even the stars to see, she balled her fingers into a fist and rose up, her powers surrounding her in thick, haunting, scarlet flames that burned around her endlessly. Venix's fingers glowed with red fire, her violet eyes flickering to a color as dark as an amethyst sky in the night.

"Damnant vos!" she screamed, unleashing all her powers at once in fury. A rare combination of flames and spiraling blood combined into a sparkling magic that shot out of her hands attacked Rheynoak at lightning speed. Cries and screams of pure terror broke out of the fellow member's lips, their scrambling bodies plastering against the walls.

The crunch of Rheynoak's bones snapping underneath his flesh, his blood bending and shaking at her own will sent a wicked pleasure down her spine, dark hooded eyes watching as his body convulsed and snapped in ways only hell could manage to do.

"I will kill you, bastard! I swear to the gods I will kill you!" she threatened, her anger intertwining with her raging magic. The tribe leader was lifted into the air, his neck snapping the right. A wound formed at the base of his collarbone, dark blood pooling down his tanned skin. His screams and pleas were inaudible through the blood that pulled from his mouth, his flesh slowly deteriorating as his body obeyed the orders of the Witch. The rough jagged surface of the ceiling met Rheynoak's face, peeling off the flesh of his cheeks even as blood dripped from the small cracks in between each of his fingers.

Red, smoke, fire. Venix only saw nothing but red, smoke and fire as she pushed her powers beyond their limits, fingers turning red as she curled them into her palm. The loud crackling of fire behind her met her senses, the scarlet fire nearly consuming her as she stood in a ring of her own catastrophe.

Sounds of the other's screams and pleas in the room dimmed inside her mind, her fellow members begs for mercy all vanishing into one quick evaporation as her mind darkened, her eyes set on her target, and she became one with silence.

She was close, so close to ending all the pain and all the misery as she watched the blood ring from Rheynoak's suspended body, creating a pool of glorious blood she would bathe in later. She was close to ending it all. Ending him all.

No more pain, no more misery. Just one more dead body.

"Combustio ut infernum!" All of Venix's anger, rage, torment, blood, power twisted into a great storm, the magic that was shooting out of her hand rising to the point where she was blinded by her own power. The flames that surrounded her licked at her skin, inflicting pain she couldn't feel.

Smoke, red, fire. Smoke, red, fire.

And just was Asxairo's very own powerful BloodBone Witch was about to crush the tribe leader's skull inside his own head and ink every single drop of blood out of his soul, cold hands snatched her wrist in a crushing grip and a pain so great was able to undo her powers.

Everything came crashing down in one big fog, the combustion of the walls falling apart as the fire ate at the leftover bricks. The fellow members had managed to escape, leaving a mess in their wake. Rheynoak's body fell to the floor in an unconscious heap, his blood surrounding him in a massive pool. His eyes were slipped shut, wounds and cracks marking their way across his skin.

Venix's body trembled, the scarlet flames around her vanishing and the restoring feeling of her body going numb sinking into her skin. The guilt fed on her soul, filling her pride and confidence with shame and utter confusion that made her head spin until she didn't know who she was anymore. Her powers slowly ceased, a haunting flame before dying and burying their way in her soul where they always resided.

The sizzling contact of cold hands and a pair of ice blue eyes stared into her own violet eyes, holding on to her even as she fell to her knees in a shaking, aching mess. Her body was trembling, her breaths escaping her lips uneven patterns as salty tears rolled down her face in soft sobs. Bone white hair was rustled by the wind that made its way through the hole in the wall.

"Hey, it's okay. Look at me and just breathe." The gentle persuasion of Lucien's voice somehow calmed her, her instincts not kicking in when he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her body close to his in a comforting embrace. His scent, a combination of ocean waves splashing against the shores and dew on morning grass met her nose, welcoming her.

"I almost killed him. I was so close to killing him" Venix stuttered through the temporary pain that rattled her body and her unforsaken tears, her own blood coating her skin. A sigh escaped his lips, his hand rubbing her waist. "I know you were. But you were out of control" Lucien reminded her, pushing her red cloak aside. "Your anger drove you to the edge."

Another choked sob escaped the Witch's lips, her fingers curling deep into the dark fabric of his shirt, her nails piercing through the light material of his cloak and shirt. Her violet eyes rose to meet the beautiful complexity in his blue eyes, holding her gaze intensely, his hold on her never loosening.

The patter of her heart in her chest quickened, her mind still in overdrive as her anger died inside of her. She looked around, past his eyes and around the room to see the catastrophe she had caused. Rheynoak's blood was splattered against one of the walls, dripping towards an adjacent wall. Dying embers of fire licked at bricks that were falling apart, a huge section of the room torn and blow apart to pieces by what seemed to be like a conjured fireball.

"Everyone made it out safe okay. Iresil managed to use her powers and help everyone escape" Lucien reassured her, his blue eyes darting to the crescent moon imprint on her ankle. A shaky breath escaped her lips once more, her arms trembling as she planted her palms against the floor and managed to pull herself up.

Lucien's strong arms never left her waist as he helped her up, pushing back a lock of hair that covered her fearful eyes. Venix sighed and rubbed her arm, ducking her head to her shoes were she stared at her bruised legs and knees. "I almost killed him. Why did you stop me?" she asked in a curious, small voice, her gaze drifting to anywhere but his questioning eyes.

The Hell Siphon stared at the Witch with curiosity, examining the different side of her, the emotionally, scarred part of her that she so desperately tried to hide. His eyes noticed the changes. How soft her features were, how feeble and weak she look.

Yet when he got the slightest glimpse of her violet eyes, they still held that ember flame that burned so brightly in her eyes, a source that never seemed to dim no matter how wrecked she was.

Lifting his hand up, he curled a finger underneath her chin and lifted her head up, her gaze meeting his. Venix held her breath, her eyes taking in the slightest movement of his fingers around her waist, of his eyes tracing the delicate curve of her jaw. "You are something more than a creature of destruction, Venix. You and I both know that" he breathed, his breath hitting her face like a puff of clouds. "You are special and what happened was not the real you. At least to me, it wasn't."

The BloodBone looked into his eyes, holding his gaze as he held her close to his chest, never letting go whether she begged him to or not. She didn't see the point in begging him either, knowing he would go against her wishes yet she didn't feel the need to. She didn't want him to let go. His fingers danced around her waist, the mysterious complexity in his eyes holding her attention.

And Lucien didn't have any intention of letting go of her. As long as she was in this fragile state, he would care for her even if she protested against his wishes and desires. He would hold her until she told him to leave. Because as wicked and beautiful as she was, he realized she was also broken and scared as she hid away from the world, keeping herself locked up underneath a face masked with anger and the powers of hell to match.

Raising her hand to wipe the dried up tears from her eyes, Venix managed to peel her body off of his chest, trying to regain her regular composure and demeanor. He couldn't see her like this ever again. No one could.

Yet even as she made that promise to herself, she decided to use her last few minutes of daylight to her advantage. She had to know. She just had to know if it was true.

"Can you meet me by my hut at midnight? We can go to the library and the book will be with me" she offered, darting her eyes to the arm around her waist in a silent command.

Nodding, Lucien nodded and let his arm fall from her waist, tucking them behind his back. "Of course we can. I'll just take care of Rheynoak here and I'll get my stuff ready."

At the mention of his name, Venix darted her gaze towards the tribe leader's unconscious body, his fingers twitching as he laid in a pool of his own blood. Cut and wounds etched across his skin, his body bloody and beaten to the point where he was unrecognizable.

Pity should have conjured in her soul, her fingers still shaking even as she straightened out her red cloak. Yet, Venix only nodded, running her fingers through her hair as she nodded at Lucien.

"Will you be okay?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her face even as she turned away from him. She crossed her scarred arms over her chest, rubbing her skin in even strokes. An amused smile slipped its way on her lips, a low chuckle following.

Funny how she still couldn't answer a question she had been wondering about for years.

But the BloodBone Witch simply nodded and said, "I'll be okay by the next sunrise" before walking out of the destroyed building, her guilt and bloodshed following her.

"That damned witch should consider herself lucky if she thinks I will not come after her" Rheynoak slurred through his half-delirious face, his head falling back as he said so.

Lucien rolled his eyes, holding on to his friend for the last few seconds as they entered the tribe leader's room and he was finally able to let him settle into his comfortable bed. He watched, cracking his knuckles as Rheynoak rolled over onto his back and sighed.

"To be fair, you did provoke her Rheynoak. You knew she would break" he responded back, his mind still reflecting on the last few moments where she let all her anger unleash into one big, red mess.

A mocking laughter escaped the tribe leader's lips followed by a violent cough when one of the wounds in his chest re-opened a gaping hole once again. "Well, that is her kind. They are not to be trusted. Damned blood thieves."

The Hell Siphon shook his head, reflecting on the very few moments he had with Venix including today. The fear in her eyes, the uncertainty she showed made it clear to him that she more than just a damned BloodBone Witch.

She had a soul. An aching, broken soul she didn't bother to fix. Or she couldn't fix it.

"You don't know her enough to judge her like that" he corrected, pacing back and forth in his friend's large chambers. An array of female clothing laid in the corner of his room, lacy undergarments buried underneath dresses.

Of course. So typical of Rheynoak. Always wanting to keep trophies of the women he slept with.

Another laugh escaped the tribe leader's lips. "And you do?" he questioned, sinking himself deeper into the mattress, pulling the heavy blanket over his head. "Listen, Lucien, I don't know what interest you have taken in this certain bitch but let me warn you. Their kind is not to be trusted. They are trained liars and will take advantage of anyone and everyone."

Lucien stopped in his tracks, remarking on his friend's sly comments. Liars? Taking advantage of anyone? Emotionless?

Yes, those things described BloodBone Witches to a certain extent but they sure as hell didn't describe Venix. He could see it, the vulnerability, the weakness, and loneliness in her when she looked at him today. She was more than what she made him believe.

And Lucien knew the rumors that followed that BloodBones never stuck with Venix. She was her own kind.

"Yes, but others could say that about our kind" the Hell Siphon said, running his fingers through his hair as he said so. "Our kind has been known to be manipulative and sneaky and bitchy. We are watchers of hell after all and mortals have been scared of us since the dark ages. So we shouldn't judge her kind since our kind isn't that much better."

A silence filled the room, Rheynoak's hazel eyes concentrated on the stern look on his friend's face. He saw the determination written across his face, the way his fingers curled and the snap of his knuckles against his skin.

The way his eyes blazed with fire anytime he would bring up her name. There was something in his eyes, something Rheynoak wished he once had. Clearing his throat, he decided to rest his head against the pillow. "Still, they are not worth it. They will bring you down. Especially that one."

Clearing his throat, Lucien simply nodded, locking his jaw into place as he walked around the room, gathering necessities he would need for Rheynoak to care for himself. Within a few minutes, he had managed to make an entire kettle of tea, a golden tray holding the tall kettle and the small teacup.

An ointment made from certain tree leaves were enclosed inside a small container, along with a few strips of cloth he would use to care for his wounds and a blue towel placed inside a bowl of hot water just in case he needed to disinfect anything.

The tribe leader was already halfway to sleep, his one eye open as Lucien finished everything he was doing and stepped back to examine his work. "Everything has been laid out for you including a book for you to stay alerted on any new information that has been received over the past few days."

A sly smirk grew across the tribe leader's face, his body sinking into the mattress. "And to think I ever thought of letting you for good" he joked in a sleepy tone, resting his nails into the mattress. The Hell Siphon only mustered a half sincere smile to his friend, taking a step back as he watched him take off into a delirious slumber.

Feeling a weight being lifted off his chest, he turned around to leave quickly, his mind going immediately to Venix and her shaking figure probably enclosed in the bare warmth of her hut when a hum from the other side of the room caught up to his senses.

"I know Yagein Washli captured you during your trip to the Kingdom of Serius" Rheynoak suddenly said, catching the eye of his fellow Hell Siphon through his peripheral vision. Lucien didn't turn, choosing to concentrate his eyes on the designs on the wall staring at him.

Another round of laughter echoed throughout the room, the sound of Rheynoak slowly falling asleep back again intertwined in his laughter. "If I were you, dear friend, I would not keep secrets like this from me" he warned, fluttering his eyes close once again. "They will lead you into big trouble with me."

The warning stopped Lucien, knowing what Rheynoak spoke of was true. Trouble. That was all his life has ever been, that was all that was ever following him. He was a walking mess of lies and secrets.

A walking mess of trouble.

Yet he didn't fight back, he didn't deny this as he turned around to his already slumbering friend and uttered, "I would say the same thing for you, my friend."

With one last look at Rheynoak, Lucien turned around and walked out of his room, locking the door behind him as he did so. 

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter!I procrastinated so much on this one but I really wanted to update for you guys so I just sucked it up and here we have a finished product!

 I like this chapter a lot especially since we got to see a whole new side of Venix, Lucien, and Rheynoak. It's been a while since we 've heard from them and now we can see why. Poor Rheynoak

The intimate moment between a certain ship was rather cute! *cough cough* Lunix! *cough cough* More to come! 

In the next chapter and a few more after that, there will be scenes with Lucien and Venix and what happens in the library. OOOOOOO!

The upcoming chapter will feature Castrin and the interaction of Yagein Washli with her witch clan. Lots to come! Lots more to write!

So excited!

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter! Any special moments between Lucien and Venix that you liked? How did you feel about Rheynoak's personality in this chapter? Yayy or nay? And don't forget to comment and vote if you liked it!

Until next time!

With love, May