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_ _ "Stop it! Hohenheim!"

_ _ Julius flinched as his friend playfully zapped his shoulder once again. The two young Arkons had been friends for as long as they could remember, and were as inseparable as light from a star. A blue tiger and dark-grey wolf; an odd pair anywhere else in existence. But Iyos wasn't anywhere else.

_ All Arkons are born with what we call Wings. It is the power that flows through our very existence, gives us abilities few others possess, and grants us the long life and strength that no other life form can attain. We call this power our Wings because of the non-corporeal manifestation that all Arkons share, a pair of white wings that can appear as we will, at our backs._

_ _ Hohenheim laughed as Julius flinched from the weak arc of electricity striking him on the arm. Both boys were barely six years of age and were boisterous, active, and always full of energy. Having recently discovered what his wings could do, the young wolf was having a merry time testing them out. Julius, however, was not. At first, Hohenheim would send arcs of electrical energy coursing through the air, watching how it zigzagged and flailed about if it had nothing to connect with. He then learned how to form a stable bridge between his hands and watched, thrilled, as the arcs of electricity moved up and down his fingers and over the palm of his hands. After a short while, Hohenheim noticed that he could control the direction of the arcs and was soon zapping everything, and everyone, in sight.

_ Like any newborn, Arkons must discover our abilities and learn to use and control them. Some of us go our entire lives never learning the power of our Wings. And some of us find out..._

_ _ "STOP IT!" Julius shouted, pouncing on his friend. Caught by surprise, Hohenheim was pinned to the ground easily, his arms grasped tightly by the tiger. All morning the grey had been teasing Julius, striking him to see his reaction. Caught up in the thrill of his new-found skill, Hohenheim had been blinded to his friend's discomfort. And after hours of being zapped, relentlessly, the tiger had had enough and desperately want it to stop.

_ _ "STOP! STOP! STOP!" Julius shouted, his very will seeming to bid his friend cease the torture.

_ _ And then Julius felt something. Energy. But it wasn't like before, when Hohenheim had zapped him. This was different. This energy was something else. It felt foreign, but at the same time, familiar. It flowed into him, as if coming from somewhere else, filling the deepest parts of his being.

_ _ Beneath Julius, Hohenheim struggled, crying out as he felt himself become drained, exhausted even. He could feel a part of himself being drawn from within, pulled away. And it frightened him. When the tiger finally noticed his friend's attempts to shove him off, Julius released Hohenheim's arms and got up. Confused by what just happened, Julius could only watch as the grey wolf scrambled to his feet and fled home, crying for his mother. Seeing the fear in his friend sparked fear within himself. What had he just done? Rapidly growing scared, Julius fled towards his own home as well.

_ Our Wings were a gift to the first of our kind and all of us to follow; along with Knowledge and the Gateway. We learn that Iyos was made for us, separate from the rest of Existence, to protect us from conflict with other races. And that our wings, as well as the abilities they grant us, were given to us for the strength they provide to endure and survive. The knowledge I speak of isn't knowledge as you would know it, but more... comprehension; the understanding that comes with millennia of learning and evolving. Where a cave man would not understand a TV upon first seeing it, an Arkon would easily grasp the concept, even if they do not know the details of_ how_it works._

_ _ When her youngest son came home, running, Aphrodite held her arms open and embraced him as he crashed into her. She held him tight and spoke soothing words, calming the young Arkon as he tried to explain what had happened. Then, after a short while, when Julius had settled down, Aphrodite took her son inside where she proceeded to contact Hohenheim's mother.

_ _ The two women discussed the matter civilly, and it was quickly learned that Julius' friend had become increasingly distraught after returning home; he had discovered that he could no longer generate electricity and had even appeared to lose much of his physical strength. Julius, overhearing the conversation, cringed at what this meant. He felt sick inside. Somehow, he had _stolen_a part of his friend. Such a thing had never been heard of before, nor had anyone ever thought it. To steal a part of someone else, especially something so precious as a gift from the Creators, was a thought Julius couldn't bare to imagine.

_ Iyos is a realm outside of what you know to be the universe. A pocket dimension, if you will, not unlike what most humans believe Heaven or Hell to be. With the Gateway, we Arkons can watch all the rest of Existence. We build our homes and live our lives as they are ours, but we can also share in the culture of every other race that has one. At our choosing, we can create dishes following recipes from Shilliah'na, or watch the latest Blockbuster Movie from Earth. Literature, Stage plays, Video Games, even technology in a general sense, lights, carpet, mugs, it's all available to us through the Gateway. Of course, we can't simply pull a rug out of the Gateway. We need to make it ourselves. But from the Gateway we can learn how to do so. We can watch, or read, or listen, and in doing so, learn._

_ _ A time was set and the children brought together. An attempt would be made to reverse what had inadvertently transpired and restore Hohenheim's wings. Both of the young Arkons were shaken and nervous, but with their mothers by their sides, they were ready to try and set things right.

_ _ Julius was first to step forward, coaxed by his mother's guiding hand. Hohenheim was hesitant to emerge from behind _his_mother, but eventually he too stepped forward. Slowly, neither one looking at the other, the two boys approached, meeting in the middle amid an air of apprehension and uncertainty.

_ _ "You boys will need to hold hands," Aphrodite explained. Though her voice was calm and confident, neither Julius nor Hohenheim were in any great hurry to touch each other again, for fear of what might happen the next time.

_ _ "Go on. It's alright," Sylas urged. Hohenheim's mother was as uncertain about the whole process as Aphrodite, but it stood to reason that if Julius could draw Hohenheim's wings into him through physical contact, then perhaps they could be returned the same way.

_ _ With their mothers supporting them, the two young Arkons found the courage to proceed, and slowly, they raised both their hands and clasped each others wrists.

_ _ "Now, Julius, close your eyes and feel inside yourself," Aphrodite guided, "try to find the power that you drew in. Find it, and try to direct it back out, channel it into Hohenheim."

_ _ The young tiger followed his mother's guidance. A small part of him even felt a little excited at the prospect of being able to return his friend's wings. Concentrating, Julius turned his sense inward. He could feel his own power coursing through him, extending to the ends of his whiskers, his teeth, and every piece of fur on his body. And there, deep within, Julius could feel the same sensation from earlier, that conflicting sensation of belonging but not belonging . The two powers were mixed together, fused and intertwined, but at the same time separate and distinguishable. Reaching through his own power, Julius felt himself take control of his friend's. He focused on taking hold of it and channelled it into his arms, where Hohenheim's hands held his wrists. But what happened next, no one could have predicted.

_ _ The air cracked and a bright blue light shone suddenly. The two mothers cried out in horror, each calling their son's name. Julius felt his friend's power surge from his body, but the stink of charred flesh filled his nose before his eyes opened to see the blackened, burnt remains of his childhood friend collapsing on the ground. Julius screamed.

_ For the most part, we Arkons live in a central settlement called Lisa. It's not a bustling metropolis like some of your larger cities here on Earth; in fact, you might be more accurate to compare it to your ancient city of Rome. It is expansive, with hundreds of thousands of Arkons living there. But there is plenty of open space. Roads are wide and many buildings have open air sections, and few structures are higher than two or three stories. At the centre of Lisa lies a small palace. Little more than a temple, really. And it is the seat from which our King or Queen of the time rules._

_ From what I understand, there isn't typically much ruling do, however. We have no relations to maintain or trades to negotiate. And although there are a few smaller settlements outside the main city's limits, every Arkon falls under one rule and works towards the benefit of all Arkons._

_ _ After that day, Julius became withdrawn and secluded. He refused to socialise with others and even kept his own family at a distance. While his father tended to his responsibilities as ruler of Iyos, Aphrodite did her best to support and comfort her son. Even his brother, just a few years older, tried to connect, inviting Julius to play and hang out. But the younger tiger was too frightened to be near anyone; he simply couldn't bare to risk it all happening again.

_ _ What had happened was an accident, pure and simple. Tragic though it was, it was one of the risks that came with being an Arkon. Though they were rare occurrences, it wasn't unheard for casualties to result from the initial manifestation of an Arkon's wings.

_ _ After the remembrance for Hohenheim, Sylas moved to one of the outlying settlements. She held no grievance toward Julius or his mother, but she felt that it was too painful to remain there.

_ _ The days that followed were solemn, and no one discussed what happened. Julius isolated himself, staying in his room at home and remaining at the back of the class at school. Outside, he sought the most secluded places to sit and be alone. Even those that came to talk to him, try and help him through his traumatic experience, couldn't coax the tiger out of his new-found shell.

_ _ But one leopard wouldn't be rejected so easily.

_ _ Julius was seven when Accretia first saw him. She noticed the blue tiger sitting at the far end of the school yard, hidden in the shade of an oak almost as old as Iyos itself. Accretia had heard rumours of a student that rejected all attempts at socialisation, but until then, she'd never actually seen him.

_ _ Alone and concealed by the blanketing shadow of the mighty oak, Julius seemed to have an air of sadness around him. And Accretia, being the ever positive person that she was, took it upon herself to make friends with the lone Arkon, whether he liked it or not. Without a second thought, the leopard bounded over to where Julius was sitting and plopped herself down next to him, as if they'd been chums for years already.

_ _ Julius, caught off guard by Accretia's sudden appearance, just stared at her.

_ _ "Hello!" Accretia announced. She smiled at Julius, a warm, welcoming smile.

_ _ "Go away," Julius replied, his tone sullen and dismissive. Without waiting for any kind of response, the tiger stood up and began walking away. Accretia didn't hesitate to follow.

_ _ "I'm Accretia," the leopard stated, completely ignoring Julius' words.

_ _ Julius just kept walking.

_ _ This went on for some time. Not weeks. Not months. But years. Julius tried and tried to hide from Accretia, but she was determined to break through to him. At home, Julius tried to have his mother bar Accretia from visiting, but Aphrodite admired Accretia's commitment to making friends with Julius and was eager to do exactly the opposite of what her son wanted.

_ _ But the leopard wasn't completely insensitive to Julius' wishes. She was persistent, but not impatient. If Julius showed signs of true agitation at her attempts to socialise, Accretia would back off entirely, but only long enough for the tiger to calm. A day or two later and the leopard would be right back at his side, as though nothing had happened.

_ _ By the time Julius turned twelve, and Accretia eleven, the leopard had managed to make _some_headway with him. Though he still didn't allow her too close, Julius had all but given up trying to hide or flee from her. And on one random day, when Accretia asked Julius for his name (for the umpteen millionth time), the tiger actually answered. His simple but casual reply was so unexpected that Accretia actually stopped dead, dumbfounded that he'd finally given in. She watched in silent disbelief as he continued walking, leaving her behind. And after a few moments, Accretia ran to catch up with Julius, her resolve renewed.

_ He was always a solitary person, Julius. It was years before he finally started speaking to me, acknowledging me. But he was never anything more than withdrawn or guarded. It doesn't look like much has changed in two hundred years._