Crowned - 11 | Death pulls a real number on us

 CHAPTER 11

The man scoffed at the cold avoidance of the girl who had been siphoning his magic for the past five years, rendering him almost incapable in battlefield.

He was about to grab her hand and pull her back when the sudden exclamation of her name caused her to trip over her own shaky feet. He rolled his eyes, astounded over how she was still alive.

The girl looked up, her eyes widened and the umbrella fell to the floor. Her heart thundered in her ears as she faced the familiar features of Kairo, smiling at her from a distance. She recognised him instantly – the brilliant jade eyes, the curly blonde hair, the lean erudite build and a bright smile greeting her.

No way he was real – alive and breathing, standing in front of her.

“Kairo?” Elvira mumbled, frowning at the sound of her own voice.

“Brilliant! You win a hug!” Kairo exclaimed and ran up to her.

Upon seeing him up close, tears ran down Elvira’s face. “I th-thought, I thought you were-- where were you? I thought I dreamt it all up! I thought you didn’t exist!” Elvira burst into wails, broken and hoarse. Her chest heaved and shoulders fluttered up and down until Kairo wrapped his arms around her.

Her pulled her into an embrace and ran a soothing hand over her back, “Everything will be fine now, you’re safe.” He whispered as she sobbed into his shirt.

Behind her, Kaeo raised a scowl. Kairo flipped a middle finger to his face.

“W-w-what happened to Kaeo? How did you escape? Where have you been? Are you okay?” Elvira spat questions in between sniffles.

“I’m standing right behind you,” the man snapped upon being mentioned.

Elvira stiffened in Kairo’s arms and the blonde noticed the sudden switch.

“It’s okay, you should eat something, sit down and I’ll explain everything. Kaeo is very much alive, all thanks to you, Elvira.” Kairo sneaked a magic circle under her feet which allowed her to float beside him.

“Because of me?” Elvira asked, frowning. She turned to catch a glimpse of the man behind them and flipped as soon as she witnessed his dark scowl. “You must be mistaken, he is dead,” she mumbled.

Her petulant pout birthed a chuckle in Kairo.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve wanted me dead over these five years,” Kaeo scoffed, yet, his feet followed as Kairo led them toward the dining hall.

“You, Elvira, are highly misunderstood about yourself. You do have magic but it isn’t one of the four established types, maybe that is why you failed your Awakening. I have been researching but I don’t think I understand exactly how your magic works— or what its scope is. But yeah, you can technically, sort of, bring the dead back to life…?” Kairo smiled with clenched teeth.

Elvira blinked at him.

Turned to frown at the man following them.

Then, she slapped herself.

“Woah! Woah, stop!” Kairo exclaimed at the same time as Kaeo, mumbled, “Shit that stings,” under his breath.

“I must be dreaming. This is a dream. I have to wake up and see if Clary is okay, wake up, wake up, wake up—” Elvira muttered as she closed her eyes and patted her arms, chanting, “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”

“Elvira!” Kairo snapped and grabbed a hold of her hands, “You are not asleep! This is reality,” he said as he teleported them outside, over the castle roof, to let her view the morning sun – much to Kaeo’s distaste, who was left behind frowning at thin air.

Elvira gasped, “This is how dreams work, we shift and jump from one place to another, nothing makes sense!” she exclaimed and looked up, grinning at him with widened hollow eyes.

Kairo couldn’t help but laugh at Elvira’s logical exasperation.

“See the world around you, it is breathing, alive, thrumming with power,” Kairo said as he opened his arms in front of the rising sun, “Do it, close your eyes and feel the warmth.”

Reluctantly, still believing it to be a dream, Elvira spread out her arms and closed her eyes.

“Inhale the scent of your world.”

Elvira sucked in an elongated breath. The sun felt real against her skin and her lungs were whelmed of fresh North Hill air. Her moment of serenity lasted until, her skin started burning under the direct light – a side effect of Kindlers’ bites – and Elvira, for the first time, felt grateful towards them.

“Magic is all around us but we only have the ability to harness it from within us. Enhancer Types, especially Induced, are at the lowest tier because they keep their magic within themselves. They use it to enhance their own self and have no magical impact on the outer world. Unless, they are able to up-class into a Type II.”

Birds chirped in agreement and a soft gale danced around them. The prickling sensation grounded her to reality.

“Next in line are Enhancer Type II: The Projectors, who are able to lend their power to the world in order to enhance its attributes. They are able to make flowers bloom, calm a turbulent mind, accelerate healing, alter gravity...their mind is the limit.”

Elvira nodded. She knew all that. Zinna was an Enhancer Type II Mage.

“The Conjurors harness their magic into spells. They learn ancient languages to create special spells and use their magic to implement them. The juvenile mages have to write each spell in real time or have a pre-written spell card in order to quick cast. But mages of higher class, like me, are able to store our spell cards, in our finger tips. Each spell has their own special gesture to be activated and used. We harness our magic for external use.”

Elvira’s skin was burning and this reality was droning on. It felt like a high school class, all over again.

“Alchemy type mages are alike Conjuror mages in a way that, instead of creating their own spells, they invent and innovate materials to aid their magic. It can be a wand, a healing pin, a vial of potion...anything that their mind desires, their magic can make it work. They harness their magic for external, material, use.”

Alchemy Type mages were very rare to come across, Elvira knew.

“Lastly, there are the Elementals. They lend magic from the world around them and mould it according to the magic within them. That is why some can wield a fire, move mountains, break open the ground or part seas.”

Elvira remembered Danzel clearing up the skies at her Awakening.

“Your magic, the world lends it to you. The very atmosphere around you is charged and willing but something within you is not letting it in. So, it works externally, at its own will, when it deems its owner desperate enough. When Kaeo was dying, your magic caught onto your desperation and intervened with the force of life. It’s like you are not harnessing it but commanding it. It’s uncalled for, impossible even, yet, it has happened twice and I have seen it with my very own eyes.”

“Twice?”

“Yes. The magic around you is loyal. It bonds you with all whom it affects, I believe, so it can trace a path back to you. That is what it did with Kaeo and you. It bonded him to you as a form of…redemption? I don’t quite understand, but, because Kaeo is a higher-class mage, your magic has been siphoning his in order to sustain the hollow within you. Maybe it is a form of payback? I don’t know. But that was how you survived the Kindler attack. Kaeo’s Induced healing has been a null ever since you brought him back. Your magic is actively using him to shield you from harm.”

“I seem to have an awful sort of magic…” Elvira scoffed.

“Precisely why you are in a wedding dress! Once you get married to him, your Stars will align and hopefully the magic will stabilise itself!”

“Marriage?!” Elvira snapped, opening her eyes.

“Hopefully?!” Kaeo snapped, having finally caught up to them. He stood on the roof, scowling at the girl in front.

“I am not marrying anybody! I do not believe a bloody thing you’re on about!” Elvira shrieked.

Kaeo rolled his eyes and scoffed, “As if I want to,” he spat. “See?” he looked up at a scowling Kairo, “It won’t work. Let’s just kill her instead.”

“Woah—what!?”

“Kaeo! No!” Kairo snapped then apologetically turned to Elvira, “Don’t mind him, death and constant power-loss has made him into an awful sort of person. He was used to feeling powerful and better than everyone else…but the past five years have been tough on him, mentally and physically.”

“And that is my problem…?” Elvira frowned, not believing Kairo one bit. How could she have magic? She felt hollow, weak and human. But…his story did explain why she survived the Kindlers.

“Oh? So, you won’t even take responsibility after using me for so long?!” Kaeo shouted, baffled by the causal disrespect.

“You’re nothing like the Kaeo I knew!” Elvira shouted back.

“That’s because he died on D’amar Square!”

“Exactly my point! You’re an imposter!”

“Kai, I am going to kill her myself—” Kaeo lunged at them but Kairo was swift enough to snap his fingers and teleport Elvira away.

They reached the Dining Hall and Kairo let out a nervous chuckle as Elvira glared at him. “Death pulls a real number on us, eh?” he laughed.

Crowned 7 - Facing the Music.

 

Elvira let go of the utensils and immediately ran up to Clary’s side for washing her hands.

Clary, numbed to a stand-still, let herself be pushed to the side while Elvira washed her hands.

“We must go,” Yuna declared, only for Clary to shake her head vehemently.

“I—I don’t think I can go…” Clary whispered, her gaze stuck on the vegetables in front.

“It’s all right, you don’t have to force yourself…” Elvira whispered while patting Clary’s back, “You don’t have to go.”

“B-but, Lira…” Clary sniffled, brows joined together and lips in an upside-down frown.

“Not everyone has to be brave, not at the cost of yourself,” Elvira smiled.

Yuna nodded as she hastened towards the door, “It’s alright Clary, we understand. Let’s go, Elvi.”

Elvira left one last reassuring pat on Clary’s back before jogging out of the kitchen. Clary stared at their backs before nodding to herself, “I’ll manage their chores here,” she said, flaring her nostrils. She wanted to go…she wanted to help Lira, but her body stiffened at the thought of being near to any of Helif’s parties.

The mere word shot her seven years back, when she was the newest collection in Helif’s basement. She remembered his leering gaze running over her body as he brandished her in front of a table full of grinning men and women.

A band of musicians played slow music behind her as she was forced to step on the table, clad in a short frilly dress and serve the nobility all night long. Glass after glass of burning liquids were poured down her throat until she was delirious enough to forget all sense. She did not know what happened to her as the lazy piano keys turned into chirping of the morning birds.

All she remembered was waking up on the table, unclothed and hurting all over.

Clary clenched her teeth as she went back to washing the vegetables, praying in her heart that Lira would not have to face the same fate as Yuna and her.

In the hallway, Elvira said, “I will go outside, you should alert the head butler.”

“The head butler? Even the laundry maid could care less when it comes to people like us,” Yuna scoffed.

Elvira could only grit her teeth in agreement.

“I’ll distract them, you search for Lira and run, yeah?” Elvira proposed.

Yuna sighed as she nodded. Ever since Elvira had arrived, five years ago, she had been taking the falls for Clary and Yuna. Every time the Count would want to corner Clary or Yuna, Elvira would jump in, get hit or be horribly degraded as distraction.

A while ago, Yuna had confronted Elvira about it, only to receive the reply, “I don’t mind, I have nothing to lose anyway.”

When she saw Elvira running out of the glass doors, leading to the Garden and Gazebo, without looking left or right to care for what’s coming – Yuna could only clench her teeth.

Elvira wasn’t brave, she realised, Elvira just did not consider herself as a person worth consideration.

Her hasty steps over the grass were a stark comparison to Yuna’s careful ones. She ran boldly, shoulders squared and head held high while Yuna crouched behind tall grass, shoulders curled and keen eyes stalking the shadows of the night.

 Elvira scowled as spotted Lira standing beside a grinning Count Amaria. He had his hand over the small of Lira’s back, fingers gently caressing her squirming waist. He was about to introduce Lira to the party in the Gazebo, when Elvira jumped in.

“Milord! You haven’t introduced me to your friends!” she grinned and lodged herself under Count Amaria’s arm, elbowing Lira out of her way, “Why are you wasting your time on new scum when you can have all of experienced me?” she giggled, fanning her face.

“Ugh, this girl!” Count Amaria scowled as he pushed her out of his arms, “Don’t you know your place?!”

“I do, master,” Elvira grinned and dropped to his feet. “Won’t you keep me for your friends, master?” she faked a mewl, fluttering her eyes at the grinning crowd. Thankfully, she had chosen to wear a high-collared, full sleeved servant outfit with her uniform stockings and shoes.

“No—get away, you’re hideous,” Count Amaria bellowed and tip-toed to look for Lira. “Where’s the pretty one gone?”

Unbeknownst to him, Yuna had carried Lira inside.

“Why look for the pretty one? She’ll cry and whine, be reluctant all night long,” Elvira jumped up to stand in the Count’s face. “I’m better,” she winked and walked up to a guest, “I can be very entertaining,” she whispered as she ran a hand over the guest’s chest, nearing his abdomen, she said, “You can test me.”

“I like this one!”

“Yeah, she seems fun!”

“Forcing isn’t enjoyable. She’s so willing, she’d do it all sober.”

Elvira winked at the guest who praised her.

Count Amaria sighed as he took a seat at the head of the table, “You folks do not understand,” he pressed his lips in a line, “She’s hideous all over.”

Elvira merely blinked flirtatiously.

“It’s okay, I like her face. She could do it all clothed, wouldn’t you, slave?”

Elvira fluttered her eyes and acted coy, “Why not? My bite grooves will only stimulate you.”

“Bite marks!” a guest exclaimed, leaning onto the table, he urged, “Show us.”

“They’re…” Elvira giggled, “They’re quite harsh.”

The crowd roared into laughter while Count Amaria rolled his eyes.

“Kinky lass.”

“How harsh?”

“Show me all of your marks, slave.”

Elvira obliged as she slowly rolled her sleeves. The slow piano and saxophone took over the silence as a dozen of depraved gazes waited for her to expose herself.

As soon as both her sleeves were above her elbows, Elvira raised her hands for all to see.

Instantly, the men began coughing, whispering and evading gazes.

“They’re not bad, just Kindler bites. You know them? Creatures of the dark! Their bite spreads their cause but somehow, I survived!” Elvira grinned.

The piano and the saxophone escalated into a giddy pace as people began shuffling backwards.

“Don’t back away, my saliva only hurts on a full moon,” she bluffed.

Instantly, everyone’s heads flipped to look at the two moons in the sky. One of them was a full moon and the other a crescent.

“G-um, just serve us drinks. Be—”

“Better yet, leave us be. We had something important to discuss tonight, did we not, Count Amaria?”

“Indeed, we did,” the Count sighed as he glared at the back of Elvira’s head, “The Northern Plains have been subjuga—why are you still here? Leave.”

“Yes, Milord!” Elvira exclaimed, a little too happily. She was about to run away when a cold voice halted her.

“Hold up, I can still entertain you all with her. Since she interrupted us, she has to pay a price.”

Elvira gulped, clenching her jaw, she turned back to face Count Amaria. His dark eyes caught a glint of the lanterns and gleamed deviously.

For as long as his soiree lasted, Elvira’s screams were the supporting vocals to their background music. Right outside the gazebo, Count Amaria had Elvira kneeled over the prickly grass while one of the guards lashed her back.

Guests drank, shouted, sang and were eventually taken away by their servants. Count Amaria too was taken inside, before his drunk mumbling could ruin public relations or reveal national secrets. All the while, Elvira laid on the damp grass, pricking and soothing her gashed back. The lasting notes of the music were heavy companionship along with the stars and the two moons.

The universe was so silent…or maybe it was screaming, like her, and nobody was paying attention.

The next day, the sun would rise and everything would stay the same. Her smiling face, the sparkling pond, the jumping fishes, the breezy garden, they would all stay the same.

“Some days…I’m grateful my scars exist.” Elvira informed the sky. A smile graced her face which eventually turned into a grin as she spotted her birth star twinkling. “Ah…Mirai, you cheeky traitor.”

“Elvi? Is that you?”

Elvira sat up and winced at the suddenness of her own actions. She groaned before replying, “Ye-ah, I’m here, Clary, it’s all clear.”

The girl jumped out of distant bushes, her blonde head glowing under moonlight. She ran up to Elvira’s side with a box of medicines in her hand.

“Was I that loud?” Elvira grimaced.

Clary rolled her eyes as she kneeled beside her friend, “I’m sure the entire empire heard it.”

Elvira seethed as Clary unzipped her dress and pulled the fabric off her body.

“Do you have any sense of self-preservation?” Clary scoffed sternly.

“My apologies, your highness, I shall do better next time,” Elvira joked.

“Wrong answer!” Clary exclaimed at the bloody sight of Elvira’s back, “There should be no next time!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

Clary applied ointment over Elvira’s scarred back, cringing and wincing every time Elvira did.

“Does it hurt a lot?” she asked, apologetically.

“Surprisingly, not so much,” Elvira grinned.

 

Because, a continent away, a blue-eyed boy writhed in pain.

“Is it hurting still?” the boy beside him asked.

The boy in bed shot up and scowled, his face shadowed by the darkness of the room, “It freaking feels like I was lashed!”

Crowned 5 - I won't let go!

 

CHAPTER 5

 

“Why would your father let his pet Kindlers attack you?” Elvira never thought a sentence so strange would ever escape her mouth.

“To kill us, obviously.”

Obviously.

“Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“I won’t die; the world is yet to see all of me.”

Elvira scoffed. She could hear the cheeky grin in his voice.

The light from Kairo’s magic circle was beginning to wear out around them and the abysmal darkness continued. Elvira noticed Kaeo’s footsteps beginning to take smaller strides as he continued. Though her vision was blurred, Elvira could hear the haunted shuffling fast approaching from everywhere Kairo’s magic’s failed to reach.

“Let go of me,” Elvira demanded.

“No. If we’re separated, you’ll fall prey to the darkness. You have no magic to protect yourself.” Kaeo replied, harshly. He came to a standstill right at the edge of Kairo’s magic circle. Beyond it, through his enhanced vision, he could see the glistening grey eyes of the Kindlers.

Something must have held up Kairo, Kaeo concluded. “We’ve underestimated the range of this realm spell. This could end badly,” he whispered.

“Do you remember what Kairo told us?” Elvira asked, noticing how Kaeo was taking small steps backwards.

“What?”

“The range of an illusion. We are in an illusion of darkness right now, so the spell has to be big enough to harness not only the whole market, us, but also the army of Kindlers. Kairo said that the density of the created object multiplied by the mass is the range of an illusion spell to last.”

“Which means that the Kindlers are an illusion?” Kaeo asked.

Suddenly, Kairo’s magic circle shifted backwards and a cold screeching body was about to prance at them. Instantly, Kaeo induced his magic in his feet and backed almost fifteen stris away in a millisecond.

“Or not,” Elvira gasped as soon as they were back in Kairo’s magic circle. “I meant that the illusion spell must be anchored on something. Like Kairo’s spell was anchored on real noodle bowls, this spell must be anchored on the real street.” Elvira explained.

“So, to break an illusion this big—oh! I got you!” Kaeo exclaimed.

Kairo seemed to be running in the opposite direction to them and his magic circle was following him. Kaeo had to simultaneously go backwards as he charged his fist. A brilliant blue magic circle appeared over his knuckles. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Go!” Elvira shouted, covering her head with her hands.

Kaeo jumped backwards to remain in Kairo’s magic circle and positioned himself to land a punch. His right arm passed a sequence of magic circles before landing on the ground. Elvira yelped as the impact created a deafening sound. The illusion shattered around them as Kaeo found himself elbow-deep in the middle of a very bustling road.

Elvira rolled off to the other side, coughing and cursing under her breath. Her nostrils inhaled the dust underneath a stall, which caused her to cough even more violently.

Small smoke fumes escaped from the hole as Kaeo twisted his hand out of the concrete. Kairo’s appearance illusion had worn off and a small crowd began gathering around the foreigners.

“What happened?”

“Did he just…punch through the concrete?”

“Why does he look like that?”

“Maybe he is a foreigner…”

“A mage? Destroying our property?”

“Summon the Church officials! This is big!”

Kaeo stumbled back on his feet, unconcerned about the crowd’s whispers.

“Elvira? Where are you? Elvira? Are you okay?” he called, trying to make his way through the crowd.

“He has an accomplice? Find her!” a stranger ordered.

Kaeo’s otherwise humorous face switched to a scowl as he punched the stranger in his face, consequently breaking the local’s nose.

“Who are you to find her?” Kaeo spat as blue blood spurted out of the man’s nose.

“That’s assault! Grab him!”

On the other side of the street, Elvira rolled out of stall she was under. She scrambled back to her feet only to find herself in an even more tattered white dress. The dirt and grime were all back and her neck brandished the mark of a person abandoned by the stars.

She caught sight of Kaeo fighting the crowd and alarm bells blared in her head. She did not want to alert the crowd but she wanted to protect her friend like he had protected her. But…she held no amazing powers to come to his rescue.

Elvira looked around and picked up a few stones from the ground. She threw them at the crowd and shouted, “METEOR SHOWER! THE STARS ARE PUNISHING US!” on top of her lungs.

Instantly, everyone looked up, momentarily letting go of their violent desires.

Elvira’s eyes found Kaeo’s.

They shared a look of understanding before shoving the people away and jumping into a sprint.

Kaeo held out a hand for Elvira to take.

Elvira extended a hand to grab his.

As soon as he would get a hold of her, he could speed them away. The two magic circles over his feet indicated that he was prepare to stop only when they were out of town. The giddiness in his sapphire almond eyes indicated that he was prepared to laugh out loud as soon as they were done.

Elvira’s fingers were about to touch his when someone pulled her by her hair.

“It’s the mark of an oddity! The cursed one abandoned by the stars!”

“She’s cursing us all!”

Elvira’s eyes widened as she was pulled away.

Kaeo sped towards her.

In the very moment, something dark and sharp sped through Kaeo’s abdomen. Impaling him. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he fell to the ground.

Elvira screamed and kicked her way towards him.

Suddenly, darkness surrounded them. Yet again, the gurgling and shuffling began closing in on them as Elvira scrambled towards Kaeo’s body.

She pulled his head in her lap, wailing as she tried to press a hand over his bleeding stomach. She couldn’t make sense of what was happening anymore. Her teeth were chattering as the light left Kaeo’s eyes. Their dimming left Elvira blinded by the darkness.

The kindlers were speeding towards them.

Elvira wailed, desperately clinging onto Kaeo’s escaping blood.

“No! You cannot leave us! Kairo! Where are you?! Kairo! It will all be fine! Enhancer types can heal themselves; you just need a nudge. I’m here, I will protect you! I won’t let you die until your brother comes, I won’t—I can’t—no, no, no—”

A sharp claw grabbed her shoulder, another slender body climbed her back, sharp feet perched themselves on her head—but Elvira did not let go of Kaeo. She hunched herself over his torso, clinging onto his corpse.

“I won’t let you, I cannot, I won’t, I won’t, you cannot die, you cannot die, you cannot die…” she kept chanting.

He had held out his hand for her.

He had uttered words of kindness when all whom she loved had abandoned her.

He had protected her.

She couldn’t let go him like that.

She did not function like that.

She had to help.

But she was so useless.

So, utterly, pathetic. Clinging onto a corpse while creatures nibbled on her flesh.

No.

This couldn’t be how she dies.

This couldn’t be how her story ends.

The stars couldn’t be so cruel to her.

“Iwon’t lego, I won lego, iwon lewgo…” her tongue couldn’t roll anymore.

It wouldn’t be long until the Kindler poison took over her entire body.

Then she would become one of those creatures… devouring Kaeo’s body in the darkness.

The mere thought ran chills down her spine.

No.

Her eyes flashed open and a scream manifested from within her soul.

A brilliant red magic circle flashed over them, the intensity of which burned the Kindlers within and around it. Elvira’s eyes burned scarlet and her body could barely stand the weight of the power circling above her. She gritted her teeth and held onto Kaeo’s body as strong winds started spiralling around them.

Stinging pain coursed through Elvira, twisting her arms and feet. Her gut felt as if it had been punched by a thousand men and blood oozed out of the corners of her mouth, eyes and nostrils. They left a crimson trail over her pale face, forever changing the trajectory of her fate.

Magic circles appeared all over Kaeo’s body and the illusion of darkness began shattering around them.

As soon as the first ray of sunlight broke within the darkness, Elvira’s spine gave up. She fell backwards, her auburn eyes unmoving, fixated, as sharp rays of reality broke through the illusion. The piercing rays landed over the magic circle and crossed it to warm Kaeo’s body.

Elvira’s chest stopped heaving as soon as Kaeo’s sapphire eyes shot open. She fell back, onto the ground.

The illusion shattered. They were back in D’amar square.

All that was left around them was debris and corpses.

Crowned 4 - Petty Villainy

 

CHAPTER 4

Elvira blinked at the hand held out – was she supposed to take it? Clap against it? Or run away from it? Why would someone be kind to her for no apparent reason?

The last time people chose kindness with her, she hurt them for not keeping up with their expectations. What did these two expect from her? She had nothing on herself except for a torn dress, a broken stick and a crushed piece of paper.

“W-with you?” Elvira asked, “What do you do?”

Kaeo shrugged and Kairo waved a hand in her face, feigning nonchalance.

“Not to brag or anything…” Kairo started.

“But we’re sort of big…” Kaeo continued.

“We’re going to conquer the world, you see.”

“We are super villains!” Kaeo exclaimed.

“Not really!” Kairo rushed to explain, “Super villains have a territory to rule. We do not have that—”

“--we’re working on that.” Kaeo interrupted.

“We will be super villains, one day. We’re just villains for now, umm—petty villains.”

A smile broke onto Elvira’s face. She nodded in understanding. They were being kind to her because they were societal rejects as well – probably because their brain wasn’t in the right place.

“Linch killing villains?” Elvira asked, amused.

“Oh that? That was for research purposes,” Kaeo shrugged, pointing his free hand back at the Linch Cliff.

“What research?” Elvira urged, concluding their lack of normalcy.

“The world conquering kind,” Kairo whispered, jade eyes narrowed with conspiracy.

“Are you sure you should be telling me that?” Elvira exhaled, exasperated. She took off her hand from her neck and let go of the stick, quite instinctively.

“Of course, you don’t seem harmful.” Kaeo said as he stepped forward and patted her back (since she did not take his hand).

Elvira scoffed. “You’re awfully trustworthy for being villains.” She had read stories; textbook villains did not work like that.

“She called us awful,” Kairo whispered and shared a fist-bump with Kaeo.

“Don’t worry, if you ever seem threatening, we’ll kill you instantly,” Kaeo grinned.

So…the reason they chose to be kind was because she had no magic. “Ha…” Elvira scoffed, “How reassuring.”

“We look out for our underlings.” Kaeo stated, in a business-like tone.

“Not that we have any.” Kairo urged to add.

“Doesn’t mean we won’t have any.” Kaeo snapped.

Kairo nodded, “True that.”

“Unless, you become our first!” Kaeo proposed.

There was an eager earnestness in his eyes that set Elvira’s heart aflutter. Startled by his kindness, Elvira looked away. The tips of her ears were beginning to blush but her stomach beat them to attention. It produced the most strangled cry for food that Elvira had to physically strangle its non-existent throat.

“Oh—I’m sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“Nothing to apologise for, let’s go!”

Kairo nodded and with a snap of his fingers a brilliant magic circle appeared underneath the three. It dazzled under the sun, captivating Elvira’s attention, and before she knew it, they were standing in the middle of a busy bazar. Her eyes widened at the sudden change and her hands rushed to cover her flaws but with another snap of Kairo’s fingers, the three of them were dressed in black overalls with matching black hats and ginger hair.

“Isn’t he so useful?” Kaeo grinned, ruffling Kairo’s hair.

“He is overtiming with this magic,” Elvira scoffed as she looked down to observe her clothes. She had a black turtleneck on which was long enough to cover her neck and thin enough to survive the vengeful afternoon sun. Her legs were clad in loose black pants and comfortable heeled shoes. “Your spells are to die for…” Elvira mumbled, mesmerised by the details.

“Kairo is brilliant. Maybe one of the reasons why he isn’t able to ascend to Class SS is because I keep using him like that,” Kaeo grinned.

“Yeah, Enhancer Types are usually inherently selfish,” Elvira snorted.

“It’s okay, Kae will pay me with his life,” Kairo grinned back.

Elvira was taken aback by the nonchalance of the promise. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around at the bustling square. Even in the harshest of afternoons, people were buzzing with life. The streets were lined with shops and stalls, while adults and children alike clamoured for new products and bargained for the old.

“D’amar Square,” Kairo replied.

“They have the best noodles.” Kaeo informed.

“What…what continent are we on?” Elvira asked, frowning at the bright sun and dry wind threatening to suck the non-existent moisture out of her.

“Kalmia, land of the shapeshifters.”

Suddenly, the bright grinning faces made sense.

Kaeo led them across the street and inside a small, dimly lit, restaurant. The interior was cold and damp, walls a dark brown in colour and furniture made out of hardwood wood. The spicy scent of well-made noodles held a chokehold on every nook and cranny.

They took a seat in a farther corner, Elvira with her back towards the wall and the brothers facing her.

“Umm…I must confess…” Elvira hesitated as she began, “I don’t have money.” She whispered.

Kaeo and Kairo leaned in as they whispered in sync, “It’s okay, neither do we. But villains don’t have to pay. Watch and learn.”

Kaeo leaned back and called, “Lizzy, get me three large bowls with extra toppings!”

“They’re all Lizard-folk shapeshifters,” Kairo explained.

“Wouldn’t they be weary of us…? We’re different than them.” Elvira said, biting on her lower lip with hesitation.

“They won’t know. Illusion spells are rare to master and Kairo has perfected them.” Kaeo stated, fanning hands around his brother’s face.

“Wah…you are all amazing…” Elvira grinned, putting two thumbs up in their faces. She wished she was half as excellent as them…but all she could do was be a freeloader to them. She did not want that. “Is there something I can do? To help?” Elvira asked, leaning over the table.

“Of course, you’re our first recruit in the World Domination plan! You’ll be working plenty from now on, so eat a lot first,” Kaeo said.

Elvira sniffled.

A red haired and thin-yellow-eyed woman placed three bowls of noodles on the table before walking away.

 “Hold up now,” Kairo said. With his fingers, he drew a line on the table, connecting the three bowls. The line left a faint green glow. In the centre, Kairo drew a circle and started drawing symbols around it. As soon as he was done, the lines glowed a brilliant green before disappearing. “A simple illusion spell, the bowls will appear filled as long as we’re here. They don’t take money unless we eat,” Kairo explained.

“And they ask foreigners to pay at service,” Kaeo pointed out.

Sure enough, Elvira saw the waitress counting coins a few tables away while the food bowls were balanced on a tray in her hand, steaming hot.

“Can you not create an illusion of money, instead?” Elvira asked, frowning.

“I can, but it would disappear too quickly. The duration of the spell in codependent to its intensity and the range of the caster.” Upon seeing Elvira’s stupefied look, Kairo chuckled before elaborating, “For example, I’m here and I create an illusion of a pebble then it will disappear as soon as I am out of range, which for it would be the door of this place. How do you calculate range? It is the density of the created object multiplied by the mass. In simpler terms, big objects have a larger range and duration in comparison to smaller objects.”

“Let’s just eat,” Kaeo said.

“Yeah, you do you,” Elvira sniffled and shoved a bite in her mouth—like the starved woman she was. It had been so long since she had eaten…she felt bliss capture her soul as she scarfed down the rich broth with thick noodles, each bite more fulfilling than the last.

“Spells are an intricate art…and science,” Kairo sighed, staring at the two hungry souls beside him, “You’ll never understand.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t want to,” Kaeo mumbled in-between bites.

As soon as they were done eating, the trio got up and left the restaurant, as stealthily as they had arrived.

“So, how long will the illusion last?” Elvira asked.

“For about ten stris,” Kairo replied, “We can be out of the Square by then.”

“Thank you for the meal…” Elvira said before a burp escaped her mouth, “This was so good…ugh! Ah-ha! Now that we’re done with petty villainy, what are we doing next?”

Kairo and Kaeo narrowed their eyes at her, expressing disappointment.

“What?” Elvira asked, eyes widened.

“Is there somewhere you have to go?”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Elvira rummaged her pockets and was surprised to find the piece of paper in them. Again, surprised by the finesse of Kairo’s magic, she took out the paper and showed it to them, “Here, do you know where this is? It was taped to my thigh; I found it after I woke up.”

“Hmm… Dowdry Lane, never heard of it…”

“FX83551…is it an address or a code?”

“All I know is that the handwriting is similar to my bestfriend’s, back home.”

“It’s alright, once we take over the world, we will have all the resources to find your pretty little lane!” Kaeo exclaimed.

“Wah…you have too many things on your agenda.” Elvira scoffed.

“Pfft…what do you mean? We only have two things on our agenda!” Kairo exclaimed.

“Yeah, see,” Kaeo held up a finger, “World Domination,” Then he held up another, “Find Dowdry Lane.”

“Easy!”

“How kind,” Elvira pressed her lips in a smile.

“Okay, now that you’re with us, we’ll let you in on our research secret,” Kaeo began.

They were walking amidst the crowd, barely keeping track of each other by their striking hair colours.

“Are you sure it’s the right time and place?”

“There’s a time for everything if you make it—”

Suddenly, the bustling street darkened and the glaring sun disappeared into a haze.

“W-w-what’s happening…?” Elvira stuttered, frowning at the skies above.

People began disappearing from her vision until all she could see were Kairo and Kaeo closing in. Was it one of their villain tricks? Elvira stood corrected as she spotted the harsh frown on Kaeo’s forehead and the panic surging Kairo’s eyes.

“Remember how we’re not super villains?” Kaeo began.

“That’s because there’s someone above us, the one with territory.” Kairo continued.

“The real super villain.”

“Stay behind, it is a trap.”

Kairo pulled Elvira behind him as Kaeo stood in front of her, with his back to her face. They were trapped in a cage of darkness and Elvira could barely even see her hand. Yet, she could feel the warmth exuding the two bodies she was trapped in between.

“Can you see it?” Kairo asked.

“Yes, but—”

“Don’t worry, leave them to me. Take her and run.”

“W-w-what are you talking about? What is there? What is happening?” Elvira stuttered.

Kaeo turned to face her and Elvira squirmed upon sighting his glowing sapphire eyes. He was an Enhancer Type mage so it made sense that he could enhance his vision to see all that Elvira could not. “Don’t worry, do you mind?” he asked, eyes wandering over Elvira’s scared face.

Odd gurgling noises birthed around them.

“Mi-mind what?” Elvira asked, hoping he wouldn’t sacrifice her.

“This.” Kaeo wrapped an arm around her waist, picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. “I’m counting on you, Kai.” He shouted as he began running with a yelping Elvira on him.

“Always,” Kairo said. He raised a hand and a magic circle appeared over it, enlarging until it covered the darkness and illuminated it a brilliant familiar green.

Hanging and bouncing, all Elvira could see was the green spell interacting with the darkness, eliciting fiery embers and disgruntled cries in their path. Her eyes widened in realisation as she caught sight of a thin, sharp claw-like hand being burned by Kairo’s spell.

“They’re Kindlers, creatures of the darkness. The darker it gets, the stronger they become. Their bite spreads their cause. But, but, they cannot survive under sunlight or moonlight, which is just reflected sunlight—so, they are either found in the depths of oceans or underground or within dense forests. It’s impossible to see Kindlers on land, in broad daylight, unless someone had been harbouring them in an illusion of absolute darkness.” Elvira said, remembering the textbook pages of her Creatures of God Book II, ed. 12.

“Brilliant, you win a back-pat!” Kaeo grinned and patted Elvira’s back, “They’re his favourite pets. Perfect minions of death.”

“His?”

“Yeah, our father’s.”

The You in Me: 3 - Casual Murder.

 

CHAPTER 2

 

The world was invaded three centuries ago by an ancient species known as Astherians. While the rich scrambled away in their bunkers, the poor fought against their chances and perished. The Astherians possessed Aether, an amalgamation of pure cosmic and chaos spirit which gave them abilities beyond human comprehension. Though, when the balance was disrupted – they began finding new lands in hopes to repopulate.

Earth happened to be one of them.

As resources began depleting by year 90 after the invasion, humans were forced out of their bunkers and settled on the ground as a lower grade species. The once billionaires were stripped off their power, technology and currency, only to be settled in subordination to Astherians.

The two factions did not cross paths, unless need be, for nothing good ever comes out of it. They may share common public spaces—like the woman walking down the sidewalk with her child, holding hands and swinging their arms – but there was no innate need of interaction that boiled over as Seraphina walked past them.

She walked past tens of them, on her way to the academy, eyeing an odd sense of peace that exuded through their persona. Kids playing in a park and crying over a ball that dropped into a drain; teenagers racing down roads with panic in their eyes but smiles on their faces; elderly gentlemen loitering around electric poles while exercising loudly. Theirs was a small community and those who understood how perishable their existences were—worked hard to make every moment count.

The humans, or what Astherians liked to call them – Imanians – were far removed from the hub of Asteria by a dense fog and a miles long winding road down a rocky hill. Seraphina, on the other hand, trekked down with great ease. The issue of her convoluted existence allowed her to co-exist between the two worlds, though, not by choice.

The Aetherunes Academy held an ominous presence to itself. On the outside, it looked sharp and pointy, like a naturally occurring crystal pushed out of the Earth. Its height extended into the fog and what surrounded it was lush vastness of uncharacteristic green.

As Seraphina passed through the metal gates and onto the cobbled walkway into the Aetherunes Academy a ginormous blazing hammer struck against her side and propelled her a few feet into air, something akin to an air-filled balloon being let go.

The impact thrusted her into the Lake Celestia, beside the cobbled walkway, and the perfectly aimed blow had Seraphina’s jarred mouth collecting about eight shimmering Celes fishes in a go.

“And that’s a goal!” someone hollered.

“Been catching up on human sports?” another asked.

“This should be made into an Aetherian Sport; shooting the Dreads for turds and giggles.”

A group of white and gold clad girls, Class A: Heroes, clustered around the lake’s edge and chuckled amongst themselves as Seraphina shook her head and spat the celes back into the lake. She resurfaced out of the starry lake and grinned widely.

“Made me fly, you did,” Seraphina said, “’twas a long-term dream of mine.”

“Ha, she lives!” A silver haired girl clapped. She was slender and tall with eyes as bright as emeralds and a stance which could only be described as prideful. She raised her right hand and over a green aether circle and materialised the gigantic blazing red hammer.

“Tragic, really,” Seraphina tsked as she swam closer to the edge. She placed her hands on the ground to lift herself up when a jet of water shot her into the sky. She smiled, regained her composure mid-air, and spotted the water manipulator. “Y’all really make life tough on yourselves,” Seraphina tsked, and suddenly, all water droplets around her tinged a grimy black under the influence of a red aether circle. A maniacal grin encased Seraphina’s lips as the dark droplets lost their gravity-induced roundness, instead morphing into a needle-like point as they changed their paths and aimed at the girls on the ground.

The sheer force with which each droplet sped towards its master and their allies had them scrambling for defense. The droplets which did not hit people, pierced holes into the ground, whilst the rest broke through the heroes’ defenses and laid them bleeding onto the greenery. The hammer girl managed to stand for two whole seconds before a droplet pierced through her blazing weapon and impaled her forehead.

She dropped to the ground, though easier than Seraphina did. As all aether wielders succumbed to their ill-chosen fate, the aether constant ceased around the cursed one and she fell, quite compliant to gravity, with a loud crack on the ground, splat beside the white clad heroes.

A loud crack resonated in the stillness of her surroundings.

Seraphina groaned, plopped against the ground and felt all feeling leave her legs after the sharp pain subsided.

“Whatever happened to ‘Good Mornings’ and ‘Good Days’,” she spat, nasally. Kindness was out of bounds within Aetherunes Academy, really; every student was instinctively propelled to crush another, be it in-class or intra-class, for reasons that were lost to Seraphina.

The ravenette used her arms to drag her limped lower-body on the ground, closer to the hammer girl, so she could hasten the healing process. Broken bones would take a Class: S healer, which weren’t only hard to find but absolutely impossible to convince. Unless one had a special notice from the Headmistress.

And Seraphina would willingly wish for eternal death over the official process of filling out forms to get a notice.  

Sucking a soul was much easier and came with way less consequences.

So, Seraphina did just that as she crawled over hammer girl’s now cold body and placed her hand over the chest. Five black aether circles appeared all over her arm as she sucked out the girl’s aether. Feeling and pain returned to her lower body as the hammer girl’s flesh began disappearing along with her aether.

A memory popped in Seraphina’s head.

“Melody, why did you choose to manifest a weapon?” an old, wrinkly, woman asked a toddler who was sitting on a bench, swinging her feet to-and-fro.

“So that I can crush all your problems, grandma,” the little girl replied with a bright smile.

“Oh?” the old woman chuckled, “My melody is so small but so aware of my problems?”

“Of course!” the girl nodded, “Those evil men who stole our land and everything from us, made you cry, made mum go away, made dad so sad…all those are problems and I’m going to crush them!”

“Oh, my sweetest melody, you have a noble heart. You’ll be a great hero one day,” the old lady hugged the child.

The memory dissipated, though not before leaving yet another dead weight on Seraphina’s not-so-dead heart. Her eyes took in Melody’s darkened skeleton underneath her as she stood up. “Noble indeed,” she tsked and stretched her legs, “Woah, I feel like a person again!”

 

Seraphina clapped and skipped away from the bleeding students, humming a human tune unbeknownst to all around her. She made it inside the Academy successfully, this time around, while only bearing witness to two fights at the door – both of which were being led by Hero Kaizer Malvern, simultaneously – one of which had a Dread running around, on fire, while the other had a Dread doing squats while holding his ears. Seraphina slipped in silently while the rest of the Hero crowd was cheering over the spectacle.

Though, she was a mere ten steps inside the grand academy when her path was hindered by the very inexcusable and overwhelming presence of Headmistress Valarie Malvaren. She was tall today, white skinned and blonde with a big hairdo as though an eighteenth-century Lady would look in a modern-day pantsuit. Her flourishing cape dragged behind her high heeled boots as she made her way towards Seraphina.

“Fancy seeing you so early in the morning,” the ravenette pointed at the ceiling, as if it were the sky indicating morning.

“Well, I saw a sharp decline in my Hero count even before the first class and within…” the headmistress raised her wrist to check the time in her floral watch, “well, less than a minute and thirty seconds. Impressive, really, I thought after I was done being concerned.”

Seraphina smiled, “Oh, then I wouldn’t hold you up any longe—” her sentence trailed off as Headmistress Valerie wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began guiding her towards the office.

“I did make another observation, you see, there were five inconveniences: just the number of sins you need to commit in a day to stay afloat,” Valarie informed.

“Wow, you’re so wise,” Seraphina sighed out a dry reply.

“Of course, why else would they choose me as the Headmistress?” Valerie chuckled as they reached the rustic and intricately carved office door. It opened on its own accord, recognizing Valarie as its owner, and the duo stepped inside.

The office was dark yet sparkly, if one had to summarise it in two words; as if Valarie was hoarding ancient treasure in the dark to decorate her lair.

“Did you find him?” the Headmistress asked as she took her bejeweled seat and gestured Seraphina to take one in front.

“I do not really hail from a…detective background?” she tried to put her thoughts into words, “It is all very new to me.”

“Your eyes are wandering,” Valarie pointed out, “You’ve been procrastinating, haven’t you?”

“What! No…!” Seraphina raised her arms and crossed them in an X. “I’ve been trying, well, it’d be much easier if your heroes weren’t frequently hunting me down! You should either assign me a healer or keep your students in check!”

“It is in their aether to hunt the dreads, Seraphina, that is why I insist you find him fast.”

Seraphina slumped in her chair and sprawled herself comfortably. “I was brushing my teeth in the morning, you know, the most personal time one has in the morning and I was stabbed in the back! Not just stabbed, I saw the thing poke out through my front,” she used her fingers to draw imaginary lines signifying the sword’s blade. “I had to push it through me, like, I felt it travel through my rib cage and intestines,” Seraphina grimaced.

“I’ll ask Kaizer to keep them in check,” Valarie rolled her eyes at Seraphina’s dramatic explanation.

“Good! Thank you!”

“Your mortal body can sustain only so much, Seraphina, until you either perish or become truly cursed. You and I, we both know that the latter is off possibilities because you cannot harness the power he has. Channeling only one percent of it has been taking a toll on your body,” Valarie knocked the table mirror to flip around and face Seraphina.

The young girl glimpsed her appearance in the mirror. Though, the porcelain skin, the straight raven hair and the piercing scarlet eyes were no way a downgrade as Headmistress Valarie was making them out to be. She used to be someone with oily, pimply skin, wild curls and dead grey eyes which could ward off any human interaction from a mile away. It was in no way a confidence boost to what she gained after the incident.

“I wouldn’t call it a toll, per say,” Seraphina ran a hand through her silken hair.

“Well then, wait till you start growing scales, fangs and wings,” Valarie passed a sarcastic smile.

Seraphina pursed her lips momentarily, then to soothe the headmistress’ soul, she said, “I’ll keep on searching.”

“Why, thank you!” Valarie breathed in exasperation. She got up and floated to a bedazzled cupboard behind the chair. “I don’t get how Astherians are still lousy on accepting the concept of cupboards. I mean, why would you want to strain your aether when you can just put stuff away like this,” she tsked and took out an intricate wooden box, “Keep this. Remember to not overstep because each Astherian has a destiny to accomplish. Rather than leaving our blood to bleed dry, store your inconveniences in here.”

Seraphina took the box which was offered to her and opened it to find it brimming with small, shiny, pearls.

“They’re strong enough to store up till Class C without harm. As for Classes B and above, you’ll just have to bring their Aether levels down to a C.”

“You’re so helpful,” Seraphina forced a quick smile, “I must go for my classes now. Apparently, they’re a lottery system and I’d hate to choose last.”

“Yeah, three centuries in and we’re still fascinated by the way humans did things.” Valarie smiled as Seraphina curtsied and left.

The Choosing Ceremony wasn’t merely a lotto system, but in a fashion unique to the Vikings, Barbarians and the Astherians – it was also a test of power. As Seraphina stood in hall built out of pure crystal, a small, furry, winged creature floated atop their heads in announcement, “You can pick an order number by yourself, yes, the smaller the number – the earlier you go and the more contenders you shall face. Of course, the top hundred will be allotted the best classes along with the best professors, best resources and best subjects! Now, without further ado, pick a number!” the tiny, fuzzy, creature burst into confetti after the announcement was made.

Suddenly, random numbers appeared on top of everyone’s heads and they kept on shuffling until their owner would decide on one. The animosity in the room was off the charts as Heroes and Dreads stood side by side, divided by their instincts and uniforms. Even though it was her first day, Seraphina did not feel alienated for in this society, no one was one’s own.

Seraphina remembered asking Headmistress Valarie as to what it meant to be a Dread.

“Hm, I’m not sure but they were characterised by this desire to rule the world… do you have it?”

“I don’t know but the idea doesn’t seem half as bad,” Seraphina replied with a shrug.

“Well then you’re almost eighty percent a dread!” Headmistress Valarie patted her back.

An innate desire to win, rule and be number one; that is what characterised aether’s most evil folks? Why, that sounds awfully similar to humankind.

So, without a doubt, Seraphina smiled and the number 1 appeared on top of her head – having not only 599 Dreads in competition but also 600 ruthless Heroes who would give their soul to rid the world off her.