Blessed by Night

Aubrey reappeared in the garden where Hemera and Nyx seemingly hadn't moved a single step since she'd been gone.

"I'm glad you're both still alive at least..!" Aubrey joked half heartedly.

Hemera didn't seem to find the jest all that funny. "Yes, well…" Her eyes suddenly landed on something in Aubrey's hand.

"Is that… hair?"

Aubrey looked down at the fistful of blonde locks in her hand and smiled sheepishly.

"Umm… maybe?"

The look Hemera was giving Aubrey practically doubled in suspicion.

"You wanted to see your son, right?"

Nyx took the hair from Aubrey and placed it on the stone flowerbed.

She curled her hand into a fist to produce a small, clear gemstone.

A misty, magical aura surrounded the gem as it sucked in the golden locks of hair.

It's color went from a clear shine, to a deep lemon-like yellow.

Nyx handed the gem to her daughter; placing it in her palm more gently than she ever had before.

"This will help you reach your son as long as he lives. Just think of him, and you will immediately be at his side." She informed.

Hemera couldn't help but notice that this gem was oddly similar to the two gemstones hanging from the necklaces her mother wore.

If she spanned her memory a bit further back, she realized that she saw Nemesis wearing some new earrings as well…

"What is the catch?"

"There is none." Nyx shook her head.

Hemera stared at the gem in her hands for just a few moments longer.

"…This will not make us even in any way. I do not forgive you."

"You don't have to." Nyx smiled bitterly. "Just as long as you know that I am truly, genuine sor-"

"Please, save it, mother."

Hemera snatched her hand away, and her body began to glow with a golden light.

"It will take a lot more than a rock and a late apology to make me forget everything that you have done to me."

There was a flash of light, and Hemera was gone. Leaving behind only a despondent Nyx in her garden.

"Believe me… I know."

-

The sound of chains rattling was seemingly all that Arias could hear as he dredged along throughout the corridor.

Since Tartarus was currently an unmanned facility after his last little break in, he and every other Evolved criminal had to be held in the government facilities formerly held by the remnants of the U.S. government.

While upsetting to some, the practices inside of the facilities had seen a complete overhaul. Everything from staff, to inmate practices had been redone.

Although it still wasn't Norway, it was no longer an amalgamous human rights violation waiting to be in a documentary.

But prisoners labor was no longer being outsourced, so maybe other improvements to the system were not actually that far off.

However, a new problem had arisen with the issue of Arias being admitted to one of these facilities.

Teleportation was a rare power that exactly four known individuals were capable of. It was a power that was incredibly difficult to plan around.

Malachi's was the easiest to halt, since he couldn't get into or out of a place where there were no shadows present.

But Morgan did not have that kind of restriction. He just couldn't teleport if he was wet.

And with Aubrey's capacity for magic, stopping her would practically be relegated to pure luck.

Arias could only teleport to places if he knew exactly what it looked like, and if there was light present.

So instead of locking him in a cell 24/7 where he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face, it was decided that he would be given an injection on a regular basis.

This shot would contain the very same mineral concoction capable of distorting his powers.

The only problem with this was, no one was quite certain that it would work for sure. And Arias refused to elaborate.

Awena was pretty sure he was just being a dick, and would not let him have the satisfaction of getting to her.

So now, she was about to incarcerate him with no actual knowledge as to whether or not he would be staying inside because he wanted to, or because he had to.

Just thinking about the ramifications made her head hurt.

People were on edge now with the new peace. Lots of work would need to be done to stabilize society, and they were definitely in for growing pains.

Things would only be made worse if Arias learned about something going on in the outside world and decided that he didn't want to stay put and let humanity run it's course.

For that reason, he had been placed on a strict information black out. Arias wasn't even supposed to know who won the NBA finals.

Morgan and Malachi did try to tell Awena that something like that just wasn't necessary, but she wasn't having it this time.

If Arias claimed he trusted them, then he would have to show it by staying inside and not antagonizing the guards… or other inmates.

"Big fish on the block!! Who wants to be my bitch first??" Arias yelled into the hall.

A vein nearly burst in Awena's forehead.

Morgan and Malachi nearly bit their bottom lips off to prevent themselves from laughing. This only served to make her even more annoyed.

'Children. All of the men around me are giant bloody damn children!!'

The welcoming party came to a stop at a cell that was a bit larger than all the rest. There also appeared to be no additional persons inside. Explore stories on novelbuddy

"No cellmate? But I'll have nobody to talk to!" Arias complained.

"That's kind of the point. We don't torture anyone in this facility anymore, remember?" Awena rolled her eyes.

She held her handprint up to the scanner by the door and the shimmering barrier disappeared.

Awena turned around and waited for Arias to walk in.

"Your new home for the next 109 years. Please, hurry and make yourself comfortable so that I can go and do literally anything else."

Arias poked his head inside of the cell. All in all, it was about 500 square feet with a toilet, a bed, and a place to sit.

"…No tv?"

"There's one in the rec room. You might get your own in 22 years with good behavior."

"How many seasons of 'Hell's Kitchen' will be out by then?"

"A shit ton."

"Sweet." Arias seemed mildly comforted.

Awena unlocked his handcuffs and he stepped inside without reservations.

Awena then reactivated the barrier, and Arias was finally beginning his century long sentence.

"Is there any privacy with this thing at all?" Arias poked at the wall of plasma and it immediately gave him a nasty zap back in response.

"There is a privacy filter from three feet Awara so no one will be able to see you unless they're actively trying to." Awena was already walking away as if she couldn't care less about anything that happened afterwards. "Though I have no idea why someone would want to…"

Ignoring her, Arias turned to the two men standing outside his cell and smiled bitterly.

"Visit me sometime. I wager I could use the company."

Malachi couldn't believe that this scene was actually tugging on his heartstrings.

"We'll come by enough for you to get sick of us." Morgan smiled.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"You sure about that? The optics are-"

"Damn the optics. It's not like I'm running for an office seat, so I'll do as I like."

"Stubborn old fool…" Arias snorted.

His eyes settled on Malachi and his sad smile worsened.

"Have fun with your sugar mommies. Please, send them and the little one my regards."

"They're not-" Malachi started to say that they weren't sugar mommies, but since he and Anna were going to be the only ones not working for the foreseeable future… they kind of were?

He tried hard not to let that thought excite him too much. His sixteen year old dream had actually ended up coming true!

"I will." Malachi smiled in response.

Arias sent them away shortly afterwards, likely so that they wouldn't make a tough situation any tougher.

He sat down on the edge of his uncomfortable new bed and stared at the empty, white room around him.

After everything, he still couldn't believe this was how things had ended for him.

He was always aware that the road he was taking might end up being a solitary one, but this was the first time that had actually seemed… lonely.

"I… probably should have asked for playing cards." He sighed.

"Should I have brought some from home?"

Light flashed within the room, and Arias' obstinate look turned into one of tearful relief.