Dreamer

29.

Orion.

"Before we all go in there, I want you all to know what you're signing in for. This is a dangerous mission, and there will be casualties and a lot for the matter, if all does not go as planned. But, as long as we stick to the plan, we should be able to get back home to our families safely.

The Demon world is one we have never encountered before, so I want you all to have your guards up at all times, have your backs, and I'm certain we can make it through." Chief Kane briefs us all, the combat soldiers who will be going into the Demon world.

"The plan is, we get into the Demon world, Octavius, Orion, Ares and I, would locate the chosen whom would definitely be close to Articus at all time. Now, your duty is to have our backs, kill any Demon who try to hinder our movements, while we face Articus and secure the chosen." Chief Kane adds going over the plan once again.

"How sure are we that this isn't a trap? We might be walking into a trap Orion." Aurelia, who is by my side speaks, taking my attention away from chief Kane.

"Yes Lia, this could be a trap for all we know, and Articus may know about our movements, but what he doesn't know is how we are getting into his world or that octavius would be able to match up with him, giving us enough time to secure Atheena." I respond to her.

"And what if he knows, what if he knows that we have Demon blood now?" Aurelia adds.

"That's not possible, because the only one who know about it are the leaders and their second in command,  also with us right here. So, except there is a traitor amongst our circle or the leaders, Articus should know nothing." I tell her reasonably.

"I have a bad feeling about this, I don't know." Aurelia says.

"Relax, have faith, we'll succeed. Let's just hope Atheena is safe and hasn't been corrupted by him yet." I speak before turning my gaze back at chief Kane.

"I should come too." Aurelia speaks, as I turn my gaze back at her.

"If you do, then who's going to supervise things here? You'll be more useful here Lia, we've got it covered." I shove her request away.

"No, you just don't want me to come, because you know how dangerous it is, yet you go." Aurelia counters me.

"Yes. Yes Aurelia, I know how dangerous this is, so if we do not return, at least someone would be there to take care of mother." I tell her rawly, as her eyes hold anger and pain in them.

"How selfish can you both be. You know deep down that if it doesn't go as planned, you're on a suicide mission, you know that, yet, you still plan it?" Aurelia counters again.

"Of course I do. Tell me, when have we ever gone on a mission that hasn't been at a risk of lives. Everyday, we go out there fighting off rogues of clans, we know that any of it could be our last, yet here we are, we stand here preparing for another miss..."

"Because then, we are not facing Articus! This is Articus we are speaking of, don't you understand?" Aurelia cuts me off as our discussion becomes debatable.

"Okay, so do we now watch as Articus turns her evil, and then we have no hope of saving Cyrus? Or lest you have forgotten that our world is dying, and becoming corrupted due to Articus and his demons." I remind her.

"If we do not do this, how would we save our world? How would we have a tomorrow?" My voice low this time as I asks Aurelia a question of great dominance.

Aurelia stays silent, as when she opens her mouth to speak again, she shuts them up again. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to return and I'll make the same for us all, including octavius." I say to her knowing it must be hard for her to see men who she care so much about, to leave for a battlefield they have no idea if they will return.

I take my gaze off her, as our discussion has come to an end, when my gaze meets with Adele. Her gaze stern on me, and still filled with anger and hurt of our previous conversation.

Ever since that day, Adele has reverted any sign to talk to me, and when I do try to make things right she doesn't give me the Chance, and with where we are going it would not be advisable to carry such emotions into war, considering she's also coming with us.

I move away from Aurelia, walking towards Adele, as when she sees me she takes her gaze away from me and begins walking away, whereas chief Kane still briefs one more time on the plan I no so well about.

"Adele wait." I try to stop her but she doesn't stop walking. "For God’s sake can you stop acting like a child." My words come out of my mouth, before I can register what I  have said, but that seems to actually make a difference as Adele stops in her tracks.

"Oh really, now I'm acting like a child. Well, at least I wasn't the one who acted like a jerk." She speaks, finally turning to me.

"Come on, let's talk about this, we're going into yo war Adele, and we need our full head in the game." I tell her as with that she stays quiet. "I'm sorry for how I might have sounded, I want to you to know it was none of my intention." I apologize to her.

"Tell me something Orion, did you mean what it is you said that day?" She asks me and I furrow my eyebrows at her question. "You may not have appreciated how you sounded, but do you really do not find what we do anymore satisfying?" Adele asks me and I find myself short of words.

"I want an honest answer." She adds. I run a hand through my hair contemplating on if I should be truthful to her, or lie about it just so we can get on this mission safely.

"Yes." Even if I wanted to lie, I couldn't bring myself to say it and deceive her.

"Oh.." Adele scoffs unbelievably. "When? When were you just going with the flow?" She asks me again and I shake my head negatively not to answer that question.

"Adele..."

"No just answer me. Or wait, key me guess, since the day that girl arrived here." Adele mentions taking me aback. "Of course, I should have noticed but I guess I was too scared of the fact that if I did, it may have moved us to end things earlier." She adds as I only stare at her in silence.

"You do know she is not Isabelle?" Adele speaks as her words now force a reaction form me.

"And I never said she was, neither did I say she us the reason for my change in behavior." I speak to Adele now agitated by her words or eveyone else's who brings up the connection between Isabelle and Atheena.

"So what? You just lost interest then. I know you Orion and that's not the truth." Adele says.

"You know nothing Adele, and yes if you do want the plain truth firm me then yes, I did just loose interest, because I felt what we are doing just makes no more sense to me, especially when I know we could just be wasting our time or hindering ourselves from being with other people." I speak to her truthfully.

"What do you mean?" She asks me in solemn.

"I know that Ares has feelings for you Adele, and what kind of brother would I be knowing the lady I'm sleeping with just to release stress is someone my brother craves for." I tell Adele knowing we both know the truth. "How can I?" I ask her again.

"So this is not just about Atheena." I add. "Its concerns Ares, and I would not just watch and see him suffer when I know there is nothing tangible between us." I speak to her in utter truthfulness.

"I don't care Orion, I don't care because you know that it is you that I want. Yes, you may feel nothing tangible maybe between us, but that is the reason I offered for us to have this benefits, just so I can be close to you, just so maybe one day you would see me as something more." Adele says with her emotions on leash at every word.

"But I do care Adele, he is my brother and I can't watch him see is together knowing that there isn't even love, whereas he is willing to give that..."

"But I do love you!" Adele cuts me off as her actions are not only ones that cut me off, but her words too.

I stare at Adele as her eyes hold hope and pain all in one, whereas I stand in front of her perplexed at the whole scene. "You shouldn't, you shouldn't love me, which is why I was skeptical about this form the beginning" I gesture to the both of us. "I am jot capable of loving you he way you should, because you know my heart does not lie with you, you knew this right from the beginning Adele.

And as much as I would sound like a jerk, but its the truth. Which is why I cannot fathom the thought of putting you or Ares through these." I yell her.

"And isn't it  late to be saying that already?" She asks me staring at me painfully.

"Yet, we knew this right from the start. You knew I didn't have such for you and if I knew that Ares felt this way about you right from the start, I never would have accepted to this. I never." I tell her as she only moves her head painfully at me.

The scene breaking my heart as I know, I am the cause to all these. I am the cause to having two people have their heart broken, and if I had known sooner, I never would have taken up the offer, as at that time, I was overwhelmed by the destruction of our world that I needed an ease from it all, and Adele came right into the picture.

Not only do I feel like a jerk, but I do feel as a betrayal to Ares, of being his brother and screwing the girl he has feelings for, but all these I didn't know until recently when I saw him holding a picture of her in his hands, yet it seems Adele knew about it, but refused to day a word, knowing I would never do such a thing, when my brother is involved.

"Pity that the heart wants what it wants." Adele's says to me as with that she turns her back and leave my presence.

F**"

So much for trying to fix things up.

I run a hand through my face, frustrated with the latest event if it all, trying to regain my composure before heading back to the briefing.

"You're here, I've been looking for you." Ares approaches me while walking as I stare at him in perplexity of his current state.

"What's wrong? Did anything happen?" I ask  him, seeing the troublesome look on his face.

"She's here, she came here." Ares speaks as I don't understand a word he is saying.

"Who's here, who came here?" My question similar to his statement.

"The chosen. Atheena. She is here." Ares tell me and soon enough, I'm having the same expression he wears.

What the hell?