[okayz <3]

Michael returned to his original human-state as Ariel practically dragged him into the field near Seth, he really wasn't a runner so running so much twice in one day was too much for the brown haired boy. "I think we're safe for now..." He said after managing to catch his breath and falling on his butt. Ariel hovered next to her friend.

[[ ..Okae, break-point achieved ^^;; ]]


Seth closed his eyes in relief, but the sun still blinded him. He fell back from a standing position and landed in the grass with a thud! There, he clasped his hands over his eyes to create a fake darkness and listened to the wind. He could hear Michael and that soft internal sound of a spirit nearby..

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Flash Back*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Seth woke up abruptly to the sound of his phone ringing on his night-stand back at his house. It was still morning and the sun wasn't completely up yet. Seth could tell because the crystal everywhere reflected a dull red-orange into his room. He flipped his black sheets off of himself and rubbed his eyes while his phone continued to vibrate against the hard surface of his desk. Finally, Seth picked it up.
"Hello?" he asked. "Seth! Seth you've gotta see this! Quick, come over to my place!" a blurred voice on the other end screamed. Seth closed his eyes tightly and reopened them. "Alex? What are you doing up so early- you didn't even sleep, did you?" "It's really important, I want to show you- come on, man, please?" "Okay, okay- I'll be there in a few minutes."

With that, Seth clicked the END button and stood up from his bed. He knew that Alexander Thorn, his best friend, must've brewed something up in his lab that he wanted Seth to see, so Seth quickly threw on a pair of dark pants and his favorite jacket. He looked like an emo- everything was black or so brown that it was black- but Seth felt the exact opposite. It wasn't long before he'd bid his family farewell silently in the morning and jogged through the woods to the only other house out in the quiet space- Alex's home.
"Seth! You're here! Come on inside- I made something in the lab last night- it works! It really works!" Alex exclaimed, eagerly inviting Seth into his home. Seth absently greeted some of the servants that worked there, mindlessly paying attention to the riches of his friend's living quarters. He was lead through a familiar series of hallways and finally a staircase made of stone that lead into Alex's "laboratory," or so his parents let him call it. Alex was more of a scientist than Seth was- partially because he was filthy rich, but partially because he was more selfishly obsessed with his gifts rather than selflessly protecting the people he lived in harmony with. The large underground room was white-colored and had many shelves and tables assorted of mysterious potions and frozen critters from Alex's mildly inhumane experiments.

Alex lead Seth over to a table at the back center of the room with a cube-shaped block covered by a white cloth sitting on top. Alex pulled it off and revealed a vile of a black liquid that was suspended in the center of the see-through cube. It stained parts of the inner walls and moved around. "Is this some kind of living goo..?" Seth asked. "No," Alex said. "I call it Onyx. It's a bio-material, just like our Crystal, but it consumes and controls based on what I want it to do-" Alex rambled on about using his own DNA to create a 'master' for the Onyx to obey as well as the option of Seth's DNA (which Alex had gotten a hold of when he attacked Seth's blonde hair once) being input as something for the Onyx to look back on.

Slowly but surely, Seth started to realize that this Onyx could and was probably made to take over the planet under Alex's rule. Seth frowned and looked at his friend dead-on. "You're going against what we've been put here to do? Again?" he asked. Alex frowned right back. "Protecting these idiots?" It was obviously a touchy subject- the only one Seth and Alex could ever disagree on. "How could you say that? Some of these idiots are your family!" he cried. Alex paused, extremely taken back by his best friend's offense to his greatest work ever. "I'm not going to tell you again- you and me are alike, we were made to help connect the people of this world to the spirits that live among them to keep this place in check. You can't just run around like a spoiled brat making everything yours." "And you're just going to sit here and go with it!?" Alex raged back.

An emotion began to build up inside Alexander's heart. For the first time, he felt sick around this once-loved person- no, the only person- he'd let into his lab to see any creation. He had trusted Seth with his life numerous times in his studies and Seth had done the same with him! 'Why doesn't he doesn't understand me anymore?.. How could he- Did he even..' This sick feeling of betrayal and pure hate started to pour into Alex's head more and more intensely as Seth continued to list reasons for Alex to subdue to the public's eye. Finally, Alex snapped. He punched a hole in the side of the glass cube and took out the vial. That shut Seth up instantly. "I can't even trust you, YOU- maybe you'll see eye-to-eye with me if you taste it first-hand," he started to say as he slowly pulled out his own pocket-dagger and cut the vial open, turning the blade black and spilling the Onyx on the floor. When it began to spread, Seth stepped back a bit in caution, but he was too slow for the morning. Alex had already swiped at Seth with his black blade. Seth felt a cold burn in his side as he stumbled back. He gritted his teeth and glared at Alex, his vision starting to get black and foggy at the edges. Seth could feel the poison-like consuming effects of this Onyx. "Maybe you'll see eye-to-eye with me if you taste it first-hand," a voice echoed in his head. Instantly, Seth reached out at the cabinet next to him and threw the first thing he could grab at Alex- the glass shattered upon impact but turned black and fell to the ground like water. Alex was completely unharmed. His eyes were glowing red in the dark fuzz of Seth's vision, but Seth was nearing a complete blackout- he knew he was close to the stairs, 'If I could just..' Before his mind shut out everything, Seth took a step backwards and ran for his life- everything was smeared through the hallways, dark corridors, and out in the blazing sunlight- all while Alex followed behind, determined to destroy his ex-friend. Seth kept running with his throat on fire and his muscles ready to disintegrate until it all blended silently away until Seth couldn't hear or see any longer.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*

That's how I got to the tree where I passed out, wasn't it. Seth thought. He sighed deeply and thanked his subconscious instincts and supernatural powers for running on until he was safely away from Alexander. Ever since then, though, Seth really did start to see eye-to-eye with his former friend. Every time Seth felt the gash in his side burn, he saw a scene of two versions of himself- one was him with small white wings, but the other was much stronger in appearance with it's giant black wings, glowy yellow eyes, and slick black hair. Seth tried desperately to shake these thoughts from his head, but he couldn't help but think about what they meant.. The white one was weak, and the black one always tried to rip out it's wings.. In some cases, when Seth was too slow to stop the hallucination, it did. 'But.. I don't want to be corrupt like that..'


[[ I sure hope Menewsha never has a forum wipe. ]]

[[i know right? by the way, AWESOME flashback, everything makes so much more since ^-^]]

Michael soon laid on his back and starred at the sky while covering his midnight blue eyes from the brightness of the sun before they closely closed. His mind wandered once again into the dark, thinking about everyone who ever hurt him, betrayed him, and left him alone at the mere age of twelve and for once he was too tired to stop it. Pulling him in deeper, and deeper into the pitch blackness of his conscious. The dark feeling startled Ariel and she hovered a few inched above her friend, he was resting so she didn't disturb that peaceful expression of his yet at the same time she didn't want him sinking back into darkness so she brought her hands together and shocked him just enough to snap him out of his dreadful thoughts.

Michael shot up into a sitting position when she did so and semi-glared. "I hate it when you do that." Ariel floated on her back. 'You were sinking again so I had to pull you out out of the quicksand. Unless of course you want to find out what the bottom looks like.' She retorted with a light hmph and crossed her arms lightly over her chest. He sighed and placed a hand on his head. 'Man...'

[[ Tys ^^ and happy to be of service ]]

Seth was definitely brought back to reality when he heard Michael's voice. He heard something about quicksand, so he quickly sat up as well. 'We're in quicksand?' he asked himself too quickly to realize that it was metaphoric. He turned his attention back to Michael, curiously scanning him for any signs of Onyx. He didn't see any at first glance, and this kid didn't seem to show signs of sudden hallucinations.. Seth frowned. "Michael, what's wrong?"

[[ I just realized that Onyx is like The Dark Crystal.. That movie was strange~ ]]

[[*squee* i have that movie~ and now that you mention it, you're right about the plots being similar ^^]]

Ariel sat up when she heard Seth. Michael rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Too much has happened today." He answered then slowly stood and stretched. He didn't want to tell someone he just met, to burden him about his petty problems. 'Something tells me things are only gonna get worse unless we do something about it...' Ariel hovered in front of the boy. 'Where do you plan on going?' "Tree House." He turned to Seth and held out a hand to him. "Wanna come?"

[[ *giggle* The.. The two races that needed to become one again because a crystal shattered- I remember one of them. It starts with an S- Steksies?.. Stechsiez. xox I just know that Kira got shanked- nununu, stabbed from behind like a boss- like five minutes before the movie ended. .w.;; ]]

Seth watched Michael and the spirit rise. He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to go along. Seth was worried that if he was destroyed by his little virus problem that Michael and the spirit would be in danger. 'Oh god, if I get a spirit infected,' he thought. The only ghost-type people he knew were pretty independent from the Crystallians, meaning that they couldn't be stopped or killed. If one got infected.. Seth shuddered. If he fell under curse by himself, there would be no one to save him if he had a chance.

In the end of his long thought process, Seth finally decided that if all things failed, Michael and his spirit could just kill him. 'It's not like my skills are above average,' he remembered the blade he was so easily taken off-guard by. Seth quickly stood up to avoid thinking about those winged creatures again. "Sure."

Michael nodded lightly and turned to lead the way towards the Tree House. 'Can I tell you something Seth, since it's bugging me?' Ariel asked the boy as she hovered a little closer to him as they walked, she wasn't afraid of what the boy had been infected with since technically she was an actual spirit.

[i no remember yume-chan, gomen~ i cried when Kira got stabbed, the first time i saw it. i don't know why i haven't the other times.. *ponders*]

[[ Aww :c.. I don't think I cried when she got stabbed- I think I cried when Jen-- OMG! Ren + Jun = Jen. Mweehee ^o^-- went over to pick up her lifeless body. I was too young to understand that stabbing meant death, but I sure as hell cried when Jen cried. ._." ]]

Seth brushed off his jacket, a bit worried about the dampness on his left side. He'd have to wash that out. 'Thank the spirits that dark colors can actually exist here...' he thought. It'd wash out red, but for now he was safe.

He jumped a bit out of his skin when he heard Michael's spirit friend actually call Seth by his name. He looked up at her for the first official time at her eyes. "Anything," he said softly, still following easily behind this boy whom he'd met less than a few hours earlier.

[[ Ne, I got my friend to join this site because of le RPs- she's stalking one of ours *no telling which ^^'* She said she wants to join one here- do you wanna be part of a 1x1x1 we could make with her? ]]

[[Jen... I love it! *squees* -- *shakes head* sorry yume-chan, i'm no good with anything other than a 1x1 >.<]]

'I am not an actual spirit, I am a human girl who was cursed to roam this world as a ghost and there's no way I can return to being human that I know of. Does that make since?' She asks quietly as she landed with her feet touching the ground and walking beside him.

[[ Aw, she's never even RP'd before- but no trying 1x1x1's? ;o *goes to find Hito* ]]

Seth squinted his eyes at the girl momentarily. The idea that there was actually a human, whether or not she was just a Crystallian or if she was more, who was able to change form and be unseen by the rest of the population. Seth expected a red flag to go off in his mind, but somehow he felt comforted. He also felt strange hearing the word 'curse' get used over such a topic, but his instincts told him that it had nothing to do with the crystal. "Yes.. It makes sense." he said. Seth was pretty confident in understanding what she had said, but he was pretty unclear about the details. "And you just follow Michael around and read his thoughts?" Seth felt a little guilty that he made it seem a bit accusing, but if this spirit was a mind-reader, then she would understand. He turned back to focusing on following Michael.

Ariel shakes her head. 'I'm not a mind reader, we've been friends since before I can remember and I get this feeling from him that scares me.' She says quietly.

Not too much longer was it before the Tree house came into view and Michael slowed to a stop to wait for the two, holding the door open for them.

Seth listened in silence for a few moments after the spirit spoke. "Hm... Oh- we're here~" he said, trying to keep his mood at least partially positive for the day. He hadn't gone through all of his straws of tolerance, but he didn't want to wear down the last bit he still owned. "Michael, your friend tells me that she is scared of you from time to time," he said over-formally to the boy for effect as he made his way through the door.

Ariel floated through the door and landed in a sitting position on the bed five feet from the door. Michael closed the door behind himself after following in behind Seth. "Really now? Everyone's scared of me from time to time." He speaks in a casual tone. The Tree House was big enough to fit three people despite that there was only one king sized bed. One of the other two rooms had a futon. In this Tree House there were two bedrooms, a large living room. descent sized kitchen and bathroom along with a study room.

Seth smiled when he heard Michael respond quite similarly to the way Seth had introduced the topic. "Really, though- I had no idea." At that moment, he turned his attention back to the spirit who had settled down (of course taking a quick glimpse of the entire tree house in the process). "I heard that there were details of this event, though." he added.

"What events?" The now curious brown haired boy asked as he glanced at Seth.

[one-liner >x<]

[[ Lawls, it's okee. ^^' ]]

Seth shrugged to Michael's question. He hadn't heard anything from the spirit other than the fact that she wasn't human. He wasn't exactly sure what events lead up to her being afraid-

That same image of the black angel versus the white one crossed Seth's mind. His heart beat quickened just a tad and he shook his head like he was thinking over what Michael had said. When the scene was over, he pointed at Ariel. "We were walking here and she brought it up."

Michael glance at Ariel who blinked and stood when Seth pointed at her. 'All I said was I wasn't an actual spirit because it was bugging me. Is that so wrong?' She huffed like a little kid. Michael groaned under his breath and put a hand on the back his neck. "It doesn't matter, alright? Ariel settle down before break something.. again." He glanced at her for a moment before sighing quietly. Ariel crossed her arms and fell on the bed in a sitting position, semi-pouting and muttering inaudibly.

Seth watched Michael out of curiosity as he reacted to Ariel's comments 'So that's her name.' Seth was no brain surgeon or rocket scientist, but he could tell when secrets were being avoided. He knew he had just witnessed a giant cover-up that he would regret not getting back to at some point in time. 'Ah, I'll attack it later,' he thought.

"So.. Michael," he said, dropping the previous subject. "Do you live here alone?"

Michael looks over at Seth and nods lightly. "Yeah."

'Oh, jesus,' Seth thought. He could tell by Michael's reserved personality that he really did live alone. "Did you run away from family or such?" he asked. He knew that his family was pretty much torn from him. Seth felt a tinge of pain emotionally at the fact that Alexander had probably turned them into skeletons- it wasn't like him to want to preserve something for bargaining. Alex had everything he could ever want already. 'Hell, he could probably make duplicated of them just to crush me in front of my eyes over and over again.'

Michael paused and looked at the ground. To be honest, he didn't recall having an actual family. "You could say that." He answered, not really wanting to get into details. Mainly because he couldn't remember half of his childhood. He remembered running into the woods passed dark and collapsing, which is how he and Ariel came to be friends, and he never saw or heard from his 'family' again.

Seth had been counting strikes. Strike one was when Ariel had covered up her details. Strike two was from Michael not explaining how he came to live alone. 'Strike three,' Seth thought when Michael completely condensed his answer. He shifted in his position, feeling a little dizzy. Suddenly, he remembered that he was literally bleeding out. "--M-Michael, do you know of any place where I could wash up for the day?" he asked, keeping himself mostly calm. Seth couldn't resist the feeling of anxiety, though, when he noticed that the watery stain in his jacket had spread and caused him more pain when he moved. "I'm all covered with dirt and I think it was muddy where I was napping earlier." Strangely, Seth hadn't seen a full-blown hallucination in a while, and his vision was still pretty clear.

"If you'd like, you can use my shower. It's just down the hall and to your left." Michael said as he went into the kitchen to make some food for himself and Seth in case he was hungry.

[neh, what's Seth counting strikes for? o.o']

[[ Rofl, it's just like three strikes in baseball- He decided to drop 'out' of the idea of asking questions about Michael's life for the time being. One; Ariel lies by omission. Two; Michael goes 'yes, i live alone' and doesn't add anything to the statement. Three; Michael goes 'yes, you could say that' without more detail. Seth just used strikes as a measurement for when to give up at the time. ]]

Seth watched Michael start to go in the other direction. He was comically amused by the idea that he would make Michael's shower a bloody mess if he rinsed out there.. 'Nope- not a good idea.' he thought. He cleared his throat momentarily before raising his right hand. "Is there a river nearby that I could use..?"

"There's a river a few feet from the back of the tree house." Michael answers as he tried his best to concentrate on what was on the stove but got the idea it was more than just dirt or mud Seth was needing to wash off. Ariel got up and hovered over to Michael to watch him cook.

[oh~ okay ^^]