The scroll slipped past his life like any paths he had taken, triggering his own memory that he is no longer alone each time he resided for rest in his room. Felix laid himself down on the bed, his eyes staring at each paintings hanging majestically on the walls of his room. They were once his life support and his lifeline, but now, they seemed to have disappeared. His fingers trembled each time he picked up a brush or a colour. His mind never knew what colour to pick and paint. Even a splash of colour on white canvases triggered his confusion. Felix groaned internally, rolling his eyes at particularly nobody, but hating himself even more as he picked up his phone to scroll at those unimportant messages.

Staring at the page he used to have, Felix, bit his bottom lips, trying to forget those happy memories he once had. He felt as if he had lost himself in the process of focusing on the scroll. The question was, what exactly happened that night? Where was he? Felix sat up, randomly playing a soft song in the air before removing his shirt to get ready for a bath. His jet black hair fell messily across the nape of his neck with the ring basking under the tiny light at the edge of the room. Felix tossed his shirt into the laundry basket next to the door, trailing his fingers along the silver ring that hung perfectly around his neck.

He never thought he would lose his motivation in painting. Sure, there might be things that faded away, but painting was what kept him alive for so many years. It brought him into worlds he never thought he could be. Winning competitions and awards were his survival pill, yet something now seemed to have really drag him away from his life. Felix turned on the shower, letting cold water run onto the tiles before he carefully poked the uneven water with the tip of his toe.

Gale mentioned that it might be a slump he is going through, but Felix felt it was more than that. A surge of electricity jolted him away from his own world. Sighing, he stood under the cold running water while turning on the warm water in the bathtub. He decided he needed some warmth to relax his sore muscles after dancing with Gale. Strangely, the pain never wore off. He swore he hardly felt cramps after exercising. Something was definitely off. Felix noticed the golden blue ring that sat perfectly on the side of the sink. It was Adriel's. Well, the man gave it as a promise that he would never leave him, yet it had been broken within a few precious seconds.

Not wanting to think about it again, Felix turned off the water and stepped into the bathtub and soaked himself in it.

Merging with a human was the largest mistake Calista could make, but Felix wasn't just any human. He was the human who had fallen in love with an angel who assumed that Felix knows nothing about his own identity. Lithius felt his soul retrieved from within Felix's body the minute his human skin met the warmth of the water. All these months here, Felix had never showered with warm water, but this concerned him. He felt something different. The warmth of the water worked as a catalyst between his angelic soul and Felix's human one. 

If Felix was even human, Lithius wondered. 

He detached himself from Felix's body, swirling right above the mortal like a distorted ghost.

Lithius felt his heart scrunched up to see Felix's frown on his eyebrows. Humans unlike angels were easier to read, but he could not have read the boy who spent years living with only his elder sister who was like a parent to him. Reaching out, Lithius ran his fingers along with Felix's hair, soothing those wet strands out gently. He lowered his finger to touch the purple ring, containing part of his angelic energy. Instead of it welcoming his touch, it tossed Lithius back onto the wall, sending a huge shock of the wave through his spine that had been faithfully carrying his pair of wings for centuries.

Felix's eyelids fluttered revealing a pair of dark fiery eyes. They were glowing in orange with a hinge of red that circled the outer lining of his irises. Lithius could not help but stare at the magnificent colours which tugged the bottom of his chest. Felix... He wasn't entirely human. He was an entity that belonged in between Heaven and Earth. A rare gem that could probably unwind the universe. Lithius watched the younger sat up, breathing heavy breaths as the water clad onto his skin dried off immediately. Supporting himself, Lithius stood up to gaze at the younger male.

"Who are you?" Felix questioned, staring at his own palms and tossed the water away from his skin steadily. "What are you doing here in my room?"

Lithius remained silent as he took a few steps backwards when Felix skillfully pulled the towel from the stand and wrapped it around his waist. His fiery gaze intensified against Lithius's soft ones. Everything in the room seemed to have taken a turn as Felix stopped a few inches before Lithius, sniffing in his scent and chuckled. His hoarse chuckle echoed in the room.

"You were the reason why I never got to be myself again, son of Deminus. It took me years to suppress my powers, to make me human and fit in, but you, you triggered my powers again," Felix said waving a string of fire in front of their faces. Felix sharp gaze landed on Lithius intensely for a few minutes and added. "But, it is alright. I do not blame you. You are a part of my destiny and so am I. Our personalities complement each other. Was it painful enough for you to feel the loss of your lover twice?"

"I... I don't understand," Lithius said in a shaky voice. "This... It's..."

"Not possible," Felix continued with a nod. "It wasn't meant to be, but because we share almost similar life events, I guess it worked as a trigger. Your soul triggered my memories and my memories and events were meant to teach you to lead. Oops," Felix giggled playfully. "It wasn't meant for you to know."

"To lead? No, you are joking. I am not ready to lead," Lithius frowned.

"And I am not ready to be myself, Lithius, but here we are," Felix muttered. "It is our path and we must walk it. I know and understand it is hard to lose yourself pieces by pieces, but life is all about losing and finding yourself at the most unexpected moment. You have your options Lithius, but I am done losing myself in you each time Calista made you push me into the dark. Your powers are too powerful for me. I might be a phoenix's child, but my body and soul is not ready to rule the universe. A universe has a million and zillion constellations, but I am just one phoenix trying to find my own world to live in."

"We do not know that, Felix. That is not certain. I am here for trials," Lithius said lowering his head, his fingers tugged in between his shirt.

"The pain of having to push through each day as a mortal. Does that not hurt you enough Lithius? Do you still want to walk this path again? Don't you want to meet your siblings again? I can see from your eyes that they were everything to you. Missing out on their progress is not your option." Felix questioned, sitting at the edge of the bathtub. "I think this trial is no longer Calista's choice, but yours. Have you take a look at the scroll?"

The glimmering scroll? Lithius muttered silently in his heart, grazing his lips. He had not taken a good look at it for days. Have the words stopped appearing? He never noticed. He recalled leaving it untouched for days. Lithius sighed. Calista's words ring clear in his mind.

Follow the scroll. It serves as a purpose for your trial. Once it is over, you have to return to meet me. Do not break the time, Lithius. You cannot afford to delay the claim again.

Lithius walked towards the window. Rain poured heavily on the outside. His invisible fingers brushed across the windowpane, leaving purple glimmer on the sides. His purple hair glowed under the darkness of the skies. He needed to finish his trial, to finish his game and proof Calista wrong so that he could win this game.

Then, a realization hit him.

What did he want from this game? Was it to prove Calista wrong or was it to satisfy his own ego?

"When the songs stop appearing and my trials end, what is going to happen to you?" Lithius questioned curiously, turning to face Felix who is throwing on a thick bathrobe to cover himself from the cold.

"Try to make things right with Adriel. Talk to him and make him understand what or who exactly I am," Felix shrugged, fingers wriggled around his neck. "I have my own path to walk too Lithius. I have my own story, but before I can move on to mine, we have to finish yours. You are just a soul, an embodiment residing in my body. It won't be long before you dissipate in-between universe. I made a choice to reside here a very long time ago, but you didn't. You are living a bet. It's a dangerous game for your fine soul. You are losing yourself in the process and so am I. It's not fair for either of us."

Lithius trailed behind Felix, watching the man landed himself comfortably on the bed. He could not fathom the thought of becoming human, leaving a whole entire universe behind. Setting his soul down by the side of the table, Lithius watched the scroll tilted sideways in their bag. It seemed to be resting itself ever so comfortably that Lithius has forgotten its existence. Just as he lifted up his head to question Felix, a soft knock landed on the door triggering his very existence. Without wasting more time, his soul found its way back into Felix's body merging with it again.

Felix blinked his eyes at the sudden realization that he had been staring out in the open for too long. The continuous pitter-patter of the rain dragged him back to reality. A reality he doubted. Felix put on his favourite pair of sweatpants and a pair of blue shirt before reaching out to pick up the scroll from his bag. It glimmered at his touch, purple glitters danced towards his ring as if activating a new chapter. Felix hissed when the magic stung his index finger triggering a drip of his metallic red blood.

Finding the urge to settle down, Felix slumped onto the ground, opening the now bloodstained scroll while sucking onto his finger to ease the pain. Those usually dim words were now sparkling in pure metallic blue, forming into a ring of fire. He scooted back a little watching the last number of the song floated out of the scroll and landed right in front of him. It disappeared within the air, forming into the shape of a beast that sipped within his skin.

Come back, Lithius. Your time is up. 

Track 10: 1,997 words 

Cumulative Words: 23,225 words