3. A new chapter - Different book #3
“Where did she go?” it snarls, but I remain quiet, pondering a way out of this situation. “Do you know who I am?” A question laced with a magical truth serum appears inside my head with such force I can’t help but respond.
“Yeah–” *cough* “Yeah, I do. You’re Osiris’s puppet,” I chortle.
There are eight special glooms rumored across my realm to have the strength of an ascended fay.
Each one is known for having unique abilities, and based on what I’ve seen this one do, it’s easily recognizable. More-so ranks highest out of the eight.
“You laugh, but you will die here.” The unholy entity’s arms shift into massive blades with sparks of lightning shooting in every direction, crackling and striking the dirt around me like whips of destruction.
“Do your worst.” Peering into its soulless gaze, I face my end. Life Bargain took a considerable amount of magic, and on top of fighting, healing, and transporting her away, I’m near depletion. Though being surrounded by my own blood plays a major factor.
Swinging high before barreling down towards me, a flash of golden light appears in the blink of an eye, slicing through the gloom’s arms like a thin piece of parchment, and the ground trembles from their robust weight. Dust kicks up, and my executioner stumbles back with a painful shriek.
“Angie, what are you doing?” An angry voice snarls past the soot. A spear waves inches from my face, clearing the circling fog, and I stare in amazement at who stands before me. “I asked you a question. You know I hate repeating myself,” Ethan speaks low, keeping our enemy in his sights.
“How did…you find me?” I question, bewildered. Fighting against gravity, I sit up, grunting as more pain steals my breath. He points at my left arm, using his spear, and my head tilts down in confusion. “What?” I ask.
“Look at the back of it.” Rotating my arm, I notice a miniature golden sigil placed below my shoulder. I crane my neck and force my arm into an odd position. What the fuck.
“When the hell did you do this?” Anger forms my brows into a thin line, and my thumb runs over the mark left against my will.
“Language, Angie. Someone of your status shouldn’t use such words. You never know who’s listening,” he mocks as his finger rotates towards the sky.
“Fuck off, Ethan,” I pout. “Answer my question.”
He chuckles with a side-eye, flashing those perfect, white teeth that match his ice-white braid. He never ceases to find ways to piss me off. All the same, I’d be dead if he hadn’t arrived.
“No time. Our enemy approaches. If you’re not helping, at least heal yourself while I take care of this,” he demands, swinging the spear behind his back.
“Be careful, that’s one of Osiris’s eight elites. If he sent this one–”
“If you think something like this can kill me, you’ve gravely underestimated my skills.” Curling his lip in disappointment, he disappears in an instant. Even the air can’t track Ethan’s speed.
Reappearing a few feet away, a breeze hisses upon his arrival. Slamming his spear into the ground, he leaves it in place before dispersing again.
Shadows pull inside the gloom as it regenerates its arms, sneering, then dashes towards Ethan with a murderous intent.
But he’s gone before the undead being can get close, leaving another spear in his place.
This goes on for a few seconds, until Ethan finally returns at my side, keeping our enemy surrounded by multiple clones of his weapon, all glowing gold and vibrating with a kinetic hum.
My leg is practically healed, the bones set and fused together. With no time for mending the pain, I focus back on my stomach. It’s difficult when worrying about Ethan. Although he can handle himself, I should be ready in case the impossible becomes…possible.
“I’ll slaughter you both and feast on your organs as a reward!” the gloom shouts, racing our way with plans of making true on its promise. Smog filters from its limbs like a thin sheet caught on a draft.
But Ethan grins and lifts a hand, commanding the energy of his weapons to release concentrated beams of light, impaling the gloom and placing sigils across its body.
Anguish rips from the brute’s throat before it thrashes in an attempt to flee, yet all its efforts are futile.
Once trapped in the sigils of Ethan’s spears, nothing can escape.
Blackened blood forms a cloud of rotting stench as Ethan’s rays burn holes into its flesh. Glooms are merely dead fay reincarnated. Their bodies aren’t meant to live on after death, and the longer it does, the faster it corrodes.
“Disperse,” Ethan commands, his tone short and woven with fury.
I watch our enemy’s body dissect. Each piece separates from one another. Blood pours to the ground, and its bones snap as they’re pulled apart. Desperate yells tower above the trees, and no pity is given from me. To hell with that twinkling fucker.
Shadows downpour from its body, revealing a fay’s corpse. A male. Who was once eternally bonded, judging by a pair of dimming rings around his pupils. A fading blue hue.
“This…isn’t over. For the Goddesses of Death…shall see me–”
“Shut up and die already!” It stirs my annoyance once more.
The sigils glow brighter, then all at once, they explode, leaving a raven dark mist. Ethan ended one of the eight elites without breaking a sweat, and I have to wonder what the hell he has been training for.
Or rather, who he has been training for.
“Let’s go. They’re waiting for us.” Placing an arm under my legs and one around my waist, he lifts me as though I’m simply a bundle of unfolded linen.
“I never grow tired of saving you; although, you might want to do something about that.” He smirks, and I grip hold of his braid, yanking it and forcing that loathsome smile away from me.
“Tell anyone about this and you’ll wish you hadn’t.” He only laughs at my threat, then summons a large golden sigil beneath us. Circular and similar to mine. In a split second, we reappear in the halls of Rebirth Academy, and I can feel my magic fueling the aura surrounding my core.
Fuck, this feels good. A sigh of relief escapes me.
Ethan places me down as students waltz past us, frowning and cursing beneath their breaths.
“What the hell man! Watch where you use your incantations!” a guy yells, retrieving his splatter of books from the ground.
Ethan towers above him, staring with a deathly glare, and his fingers twitch in anticipation.
“Did you hear me? Apologize or something. You can’t appear wherever the hell you feel like it,” the student continues shouting.
He is a second year and a part of House Earth based on his academic books and chest emblem. His nails are riddled with dirt, and tell of him at least having ground or plant magic. Either way, it doesn’t matter to Ethan.
After collecting his books, he stands and faces us as a sudden realization of who he is yelling at flickers across his face. “Aww shit man…I–I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” His face pales, eyeing my blood soaking Ethan’s garments.
“Don’t apologize to me. She’s the one whose feelings you hurt,” Ethan says with a scathing glare.
“Wait what? He didn’t– ”
“Angie, I didn’t mean any offense. It was a silly mistake on my part, and it won’t happen again,” he pleads, reaching out a hand to shake mine. Before I can accept the apology, Ethan grabs his hand first.
“Apology not accepted. I should remove your organs and return them to your parents. Next time, choose your words carefully, or you’ll lose more than just a hand.” He squeezes the poor guy’s fingers tightly, placing his other hand around his arm. No doubt leaving a sigil identical to mine.
“W–What do you mean, lose more than my hand?”
“Your name, what is it?” Ethan’s smile and features become warm. Light…Inviting…Easygoing.
“Trentan. My name’s Trentan.”
They shake hands, and Ethan walks off, pulling me along with him. We pace towards the infirmary, and I can’t resist noticing his warm smile morphing into a devious smirk. Rounding the corner, his fingers snap, and a blaring scream carries down the hallway, following a high-pitched cry.
“What the hell was that?” My brows pinch as I try peeking around him.
His smirk widens. “Language, Angie.”
“You didn’t.” I gasp at the realization.
“See you soon.” He stalks off without a care in the world.
My feet patter back towards the dire yelp. Turning the corner, I find Trentan passed out with vital fluid pouring from his wrist. His hand was blown into pieces and splattered over the hallway walls like an unfinished mural.
Other students have their phones out, laughing and recording.
I grab his arm, and a white light weaves through his mangled wrist, my healing magic repairing the damage.
It takes some time for Trentan’s bleeding to desist, especially since his hand is blown into pieces and impossible to reattach, leaving a poorly healed nub.
I pull a loose piece of parchment from his stack of scattered books and write a note detailing a made-up story. Using a sigil, he is transported to the surgical wing with the attached note on his chest. He is gone in an instant.
Huffing, I proceed on, and other students eye me awkwardly as I pass. My mannerism speaks of how many fucks I have left to give, which are none, when I spot Gina and Paige cackling like they’re high on fairy dust.
My middle finger finds their gaze, and I turn the corner, back on track.
It’s morning here, so seeing this many students walking the halls is unusual.
But then again, this entire Academy breathes chaos.
Classes start in a few weeks, and the new students must attend the Awakening.
We will see who is in the same House as me soon.
I approach the infirmary and open the doors when I slam into something solid and firm.
“Shit,” placing a hand on my head, I continue, “watch it.”
“Angie.” That velvet voice caresses my ears.
My eyes widen at his tone. Alex stands before me with his brows raised and his thick, black hair held neatly by a clasp, slung over his left shoulder.
His handsome features are calm, yet intimidating as the conflict of light and shadow define his cheekbones.
His aura caresses me like an embracing hug, pushing against my skin and seeping through my pores.
With a little of my magic returned, I push back.
“Alex, sorry. I didn’t see you standing there.”
“No need for apologies. Are you okay?” he asks, giving me a once-over. His chest rises slightly and falls with each breath, making the air around us twice as heavy.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve come to get checked out. You should see the other guy.” Dropping a little humor, I attempt to reduce the tension we’re both feeling, or maybe it’s me. Yea, probably just me. “Anyways, Ethan left, but I can’t tell you where he went.”
Alex waves a hand, and his eyes turn a fatal black hue.
“Hey! No! I don’t need you doing that.” I run past him into the medical office and slam the door shut.
He chortles, “So be it. I’ll see you later.”