Alyck stood on the hotel rooftop, stretching his arms out in the breeze. He took a deep breath. The air up here tasted so clean. What he wanted more than anything, though, was a strong storm. Something that would churn through the sky with all the anger and rage that only Mother Nature could have. He resisted the urge to tamper with things. If Howi found out, and there was no doubt he would know the instant that Alyck tried anything, then he would be in big trouble.
But the magic boiled in his blood. It wanted to be released somewhere, anywhere. It was why he was here on the roof instead of down in his room. Elemental magic was so much easier to control when you were out in the elements themselves. You felt less restricted, less refined. You were more connected to everything, and therefore you had more balance.
Too many thoughts had been crowding his brain down in that small room. He had needed the stability that he found here. All of it was his fault, true. But that didn’t mean it was any easier to deal with. Snippets of his conversation with Howi flashed through his mind.
“You need to cool it, Alyck, before you get in too deep. You know the risks!” Howi had insisted. Alyck knew the words were true. “I know, ok? I know! But can’t I be happy for a while, at least? It’s not like I’m telling him what we are or anything like that. I’m dating him, for Christ’s sake!”
“You’re falling in love with him!”
Alyck was unable to deny Howi’s accusation. This had been a bone of contention between them for quite a while. Howi had hated Alyck’s relationship from the very get go. But nothing had been able to convince Alyck to stop.
“I see it every time I look at you guys, Alyck! You need to make up your mind. Either leave him, or bring him over. It’s as simple as that! Either he’s done, or he’s one of us. But you need to figure it out fast!”
That was what had brought Alyck up to the roof. He needed time to clear his mind out. He knew that he loved his partner. In all the years he’d been alive, which were more than anyone could even comprehend, he had never felt this way about anyone. But he couldn’t bring himself to do to someone what had been done to him. Could he doom someone to this kind of life? Even if he explained it to him first, and asked him what he wanted, it wouldn’t be the same. No one could answer that question truthfully. How could you know until you had been there?
But if he didn’t do something, and soon, then Howi would take matters into his own hands. That was the last thing that any of them needed.
Rain began to hit Alyck‘s face, building quickly in intensity. With a curse, he drew his magic back inside himself. Without realizing it, he had let it loose, and it had matched his mood.
What would people say if they knew the truth about him? What would he say? Alyck knew he needed to talk to him, to explain things. It was the only logical explanation anymore. It was almost time for him and Howi to move on, before they became too suspicious looking. Plus, they had been in cities for too long now. Alyck craved the forest, the seas. The elements.
But how to explain it? How do you tell someone who thought they knew you that you weren’t what you seemed? How do you tell someone that you were more than a few millennia old, and that you wielded magic of the elements? How do you tell someone that you’re immortal, and offer them the very same life?