Dead Men Smiling

8.3

The skeletons are in the closet for a reason.

-----

Sora didn't need Maximus to nudge him slightly for him to know that it was him that Dolan was speaking to. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. "You know who did it."

The gold eyes glimmered before Dolan closed them and took a deep breath. When he opened them, there was nothing for anyone to read. "So the Ring of Power is the random ring you found?"

Suddenly, everything fell into place as soon as the name rolled of Dolan's tongue as Maximus realized exactly what was wrong. He remembered an eight-year-old Dolan recounting to them one story night about a power hungry Mage who created the ring with samples from the strongest and most powerful beings short of the gods. He remembered how he explained the Mage coated the ring with gold as a way to contain the ring's vast power and sealed it with her own, powerful magic.

The ring worked a little too effectively and gave the bearable side effects of nausea, dizziness and slight (extreme) pain before it reached the extremities. Not everyone was able to handle the power the ring gave them and died; the Mage included in that list.

Like multiple magical items, the Ring of Power was passed down through generations leaving a bloody history in its wake as people killed to get their hands on it and died at the overload of power. The ring's name had changed multiple times and was eventually believed to have just been another myth parents told their children in order to stop them from picking random objects.

That ring should be lost.

But surprisingly, it was with them.

Maxims watched Dolan sigh as he placed the ring back on the table and frowned when he didn't see the hunger that was always in the younger's gaze whenever he was in possession of something powerful. The golden eyes held concern and a bit of relief as they flitted between Rowan and Sora.

Maximus tugged at a strand of his dark hair. "We should be glad you two aren't dead."

Dolan, being the only other person in the room smiled slightly.

Rowan sent Maximus a dirty look. "We understand that you are a poet, Maxi, but please elaborate."

"Dolan's told us about The Ring of Power before." He shrugged. At everyone's silence, he recounted the tale that they had been told when they were young.

Leilani tapped her chin in contemplation. "We must have been so used to dismissing Dolan's tales that we mustn't have remembered even if Sora had thought the ring to be vaguely familiar." She sent Dolan an apologetic smile. "I just thought you used to make those things up."

Rowan turned an accusatory glare to Maximus. "You knew and didn't say anything?"

Sora placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder and sent him a soft smile. "That's not what happened? Maxi was more aware of the tale but he only remembered the story when Dolan said the ring's name. Besides, he did try to stop me from keeping it. I believe that we should just be glad that we're alive."

Rowan frowned, seeing the sense in the Angel's words before apologizing to Maximus who shrugged the apology off with a smile. Everyone turned their attention to Dolan who rose a brow. "What?"

"What do we do now?" Rowan asked him.

Dolan muttered something under his breath before looking at everyone and standing. He enlarged both Rowan and Sora's checkup results from both before and after they wore the ring. "Before I start, I'd like to clear a misconception. Despite what the name of the ring implies, it does not give you power but it rather pushes you to your strongest power level. So eventually, Soar would have unlocked Holy Fire or Beast and Rowan would be this strong; you just got the ability earlier." How tilted his head as he assessed Sora. "Can you light a flame?"

Sora shook his head after holding his palm out and imagining a flame, only for smoke to curl around his fingers. "I don't know what caused the fire to ignite and I certainly didn't feel any intense pain like Rowan did."

Maximus shook his head. "You were having a headache the day you used the flame. You must have ignored it due to the adrenaline rush at the time."

Dolan nodded. "The theory makes sense. Your life was threatened when you activated the flame, Rowan happened to have been relaxing amongst the trees when the ring activated his power level." He then furrowed his brow. "Rowan I apologize for this but are you a virgin?"

Rowan slumped and nodded. "I am a virgin. Not out of choice but rather because all things sexual make me feel uncomfortable."

Leilani hung her head, feeling more ashamed of her behavior.

Rowan's voice cut sharply throw her self-loathing. "Don't apologize. You weren't in a right state and didn't know."

Maximus weakly protested while Leilani stared at him incredulously while simultaneously telling the Vessel that they'd discuss everything later.

Dolan squirmed where he stood as he vanished the results, gathering the courage to tell everyone his secret. If they can't accept the monster in me who are they to love the Angel they see?

He ignored the thoughts of Leilani's reaction as he absentmindedly fiddled with his wand.

Maximus was the first to place the odd behaviour. "What's eating you, Dolly?"

The younger took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you guys. I don't know if Leilani told you why we split but maybe you should hear the reason from me before you decide that you still want me on your side; I'm a Vampire."

Silence covered the group and Maximus nearly shouted the statement he always said at the mention of Vampires but frowned, realizing why a lot of Dolan's unexplainable behaviours suddenly had an explanation.

His reluctance to show his teeth, the fact he hardly ate, how he was awake at odd hours, the way magic drained him more than it did other Mages, his aversion to being near bleeding people, the severe lack of scarring.

Dolan took their silence as a rejection and sighed. "I understand if you want nothing to do with me, I'm a monster."

Sora snorted. "Yes, because monsters conjure giant marshmallows to catch a falling Angel and proceed to help the Angel whose bleeding." "Monsters also heal their friends and never push the friend into violence." Rowan smiled.

"Don't forget that the said monster makes medicines and weapons for his friends." Wynter crossed her arms over her chest. Hope smiled. "The monster also does a good dental job."

Maximus blew a raspberry. "You can't be a monster Dolan. You're too good a being. Also, you fold your socks and keep them colour coded."

Hope watched Leilani shift in discomfort and frowned before turning his attention to Dolan. "Perhaps we should get to training?"

Dolan pursed his lips and nodded before opening his interdimensional pocket, emptying it of various items that were from the Crystal Cave. He smiled at his friends fully. "May I have your items back? I believe its time I perfected them."

He stared at Leilani's crown and gun and Maximus' guitar. "I know how to fix them."

Sora nodded at everyone who left and stared at Dolan with a fond look in his grey eyes. "Thank you, Dolly."

Dolan frowned. "Whatever for?"

"For trusting us with your secret eve when you had a good reason not to trust us."

Dolan refused to face him as he smiled slightly before collecting himself and dropping a thick blue book on his lap that he explained had to do with the Holy Fire. He then lifted everything on the table, forgetting about the wand behind his ear.

Sora stared at the book on his lap and chuckled. "The Flame Within Us. This seems like a good read."

He then opened the book and begun to read, hoping that he'd be able to control the flames before they had to face off Nero.

---

It was well past midnight when Hope knocked on Dolan's door before entering, praying that the latter wasn't doing anything compromising and sighed in relief at him bent over a cauldron before frowning slightly. "What are you doing?"

The white haired male jumped slightly before facing the older, face stricken with guilt. "I didn't wake you, right?"

Hope shook his head and handed Dolan the glass of coconut milk in his hand. "I thought you'd like a snack."

"Thank you."

He smiled as Dolan knocked back the glass before he turned back to the cauldron which had a pure white liquid. Dolan waved his wand over the potion before stirring the liquid. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"You said you'd teach me magic." "No, I said intensive healing and that you'd be my apprentice."

Dolan held a vial and poured the now grey potion into it before handing it to Hope. "Drin this."

Hope eyed the potion. "I don't think me playing lab rat was part of the agreement Why do you use a cauldron anyway?"

"For the aesthetic now drink the potion or else I'm putting it in your food."

Hope swallowed the bitter-sweet liquid and handed the vial back to Dolan. "That wasn't so bad-". He then grimaced at the pain in his chest. "Dolly, what did you make me drink?" "I'd rather not answer that question. Good night, Hope."

Hope failed to register the end of Dolan's sentence as everything went black.

Dolan turned to a book on his table and read through it before frowning at the writing. "I wonder how much time I have to finish everything."