It surprised me that I could actually bring up the courage to pass him the little note when the teacher was not looking. Aedan looked at me as though I was something really hateful when I put it on his table, and it really hurt me, but I felt really relieved when he eventually opened the folded paper, read it, and gave me a nod.

Aedan followed closely behind as I made my way up to the rooftop during break. I ignored the glares.

There was nobody there when we arrived.

Aedan gave me a smirk. "Huh, and I thought you would have told the other friend of yours to meet here. You met the other two yet?"

I turned around to face him. "Aedan, I'm not here to fight or quarrel or whatever with you. I'm just here to talk to you... as a friend."

"I do not have friends," he hissed.

I remained unnerved. "I take you as my friend. So I'm still going to have this talk with you whether you like it or not."

There was a pause, then he shrugged.

Running my 'speech' through my head one last time, I took a deep breath before saying, "Hatiard lied to you, Aedan. Please, let me finish. I know you won't believe me, but I'm telling you what I know. He's using you to make himself stronger, so that one day he can take over your body. You've got to stop having the hatred in you, Aedan. You've got to... and I want to help you."

"Okay," he said slowly. "Let's say, he is wrong. How are you going to help me?"

Hope sparked in me. "I need you to tell me about your past."

He gave a wicked laugh. "What? And let you tell the rest of the school about me, decreasing my popularity and chances to feed on their hatred? No thanks." He turned, getting ready to leave.

"No, please. Stop." I was whining. I was actually whining. But I didn't care. I was already desperate enough to beg. "You don't understand the damage you're going to cause if you don't stop hating and start rejecting Hatiard. The world will end, do you know that? The people that you love will die."

"Yes, stop hating, and Hatiard will leave because Aedan will no longer have the qualities that he seek. Keep going, Celestia," Lufrll said at the back of my mind.

He spun around swiftly and roared, "I don't have anyone I love in this world. I don't care about anything in this world. If they die, they die. That's it. Everyone dies one day in the end, when they get old, or when they get sick. Even you. What's the difference? They'll just die earlier, and it might be considered a favour to some, especially to those who, like me, hate the unfairness of this world."

Tears stung my eyes. "Why? Why are you suffering so much?"

His features softened. "You wouldn't understand. That's why I need Hatiard's powers to make this world fair." His tone was filled with sorrow.

"I've said it: Hatiard lied to you. Why don't you just try to believe me? Come on, let me help you. Tell me."

For a time, I thought he would finally confide in me. His face filled with so much hope, but it was gone as soon as it came, just like how the fireflies blink their lights.

"Forget it."

I quickly grabbed his right wrist before he could take another step forward to the door. It was an accident, and I didn't mean to touch Hatiard's Sign. But I did, and immediately after, my vision blurred...

I saw Aedan. He was about six years of age. A woman, whom I guessed as his grandmother, was standing at the school gates, waiting for him to get dismissed from school so that they could return home and cook dinner together. Her wrinkled face looked extremely kind, and I was sure any child would trust her completely just by looking at her. She was the type of grandmother anyone would love.

I was aware of Aedan tugging at my hand, shouting at me to let go, but I couldn't comply even though I was sure, if this continued on, he would start to use Hatiard's power to do something mean to me. Then the scene changed.

The woman laid there, dead. Small Aedan was crying really hard. His parents were nowhere to be seen. Back home, his parents continued to quarrel over trivial things. It was endless. Being the small child Aedan was, he could not do anything, so all he could do was remain in his room, sobbing at the fact that his grandmother could no longer be there when he needed her.

At last, I returned to the present. Aedan was outlined with black. I saw that I, too, was also glowing pink. I released my grip, and he walked out, banging the door behind him.

I panted from the shock of actually finding out more about his life like this. Somehow, though, I did not feel at all frightened by Aedan's darkness. Strange.