Ring of Fate [Royality]

Chapter 2

    To cheer himself up, Roman decided to go for a run. Changing into athletic shorts and a black cropped hoodie with a rose applique, he grabbed his IPod and shuffled his favorite playlist before taking off. Britney Spears's voice gave him a small boost. As 'Brave New Girl' played over his headphones, Roman jogged out of his neighborhood and towards the town nearby. To get into town you had to cross the Soartă river via a bridge. The foot traffic was always a bit of a pain, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. While Roman's legs ran, so did his thoughts.

"I wonder what Virgil's soulmate looks like. Judging by how excited Virgil was it's probably a safe bet to say he's hot. I wonder if my soulmate is hot... I wonder how he's doing." He flashed a glance at his ring. No surprise, it was still dark blue. Roman sighed and continued running. "I wish I knew what was upsetting him."

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Rounding a bend, Roman could see the Soartă. A couple of kids on bikes whizzed past him, drawing his vision ahead to the bridge. He could see a few cars coming out of town as well as a bunch of other people coming to and from. Some had shopping bags in their hands, but most were empty handed. One of these empty handed walkers was a freckled boy who looked about 24 years old. He stopped by the railing of the bridge, looking out at the rushing water. Roman assumed he was admiring the fantastic view.

Roman's headphones switched to the next song, and he felt something flaky in his palm. Confused, he lifted his hand to his face to see what was on his palm. To his dismay, his soulring was flaking off onto his hand. The gemstone set in the middle was fading from dark blue to black. Panicked, Roman stumbled over his feet. He regained his balance and stood breathlessly on the sidewalk of the Soartă river bridge. Surely he was seeing things! But no, the stone was turning darker and darker by the second. Roman looked up from his hand, his chest heaving, when he saw the freckled boy again. This time, though...

He was standing on the other side of the railing.

Roman watched in horror as the boy let go of the bridge behind him and looked down. Dreadful fear was rising from the pit of Roman's stomach. His ring was still turning to dust in his hand, but it didn't matter right now. What mattered right now was stopping this boy from making an irreversibly bad decision. Roman leapt forward, seizing the boy by the shoulders just as he leant forward. He pulled with all his might, hurling him back onto the cement bridge.

"What the hell are you doing?" Roman shouted, panting heavily. The boy was sprawled on the ground. Roman couldn't see his face, but his tears were dripping onto the concrete. He knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his back. "Are you hurt? Do you need me to call somebody for you?"

The boy shook his head, still facing the ground. He was trembling from head to toe, one hand holding the other. Roman leant down closer to the floor trying to make eye contact. He pressed his head against the concrete to be able to see the boy's face. His amber-brown eyes were wide and shimmering with tears. They were locked on his hand. Roman followed his line of sight. His eyes shot wide open as well.

The boy's soulring had turned pink.