Asteria
Without thinking, I lunged at him, bat raised as if our lives depended on it. In an instant he was behind me, as if he could bent time to his will. He was so close to Julian that I barely heard him whisper to stay perfectly still.
The moment I stepped forward, he vanished and reappeared at my side. His movements were impossibly fast, almost effortless.
"I hate magicians," I growled, swinging the bat. He caught my wrist, twisted my arm, and pressed me against him, forcing the bat to clatter onto the damp concrete. Fog swirled thick around us, his grip tightening. His chest pressed to my back, his warm breath brushing my hair, making me shiver.
A dark chuckle escaped him as he heard my words. He lowered his lips to my neck, the heat of his breath sending shivers across my skin.
"I also hate magicians," he whispered slowly into my ear.
The situation hit me all at once, too real, too fast. Hot tears blurred my vision, and I couldn't see Julian anywhere. He was gone from my sight, swallowed by the fog, and the emptiness of it made my stomach twist. My chest tightened, my heart pounding as panic clawed at my throat. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the impossible: someone so powerful, moving like smoke and shadow, controlling everything around us. But it didn't matter. The truth sank in with a crushing weight: we couldn't get out alive.
"I don't understand… I don't even know you," I stammered, voice trembling. "What do you want from me?" I needed some clue, some hint to protect Julian.
He turned me to face him, his icy gaze locking onto mine. "I want you to remember who you are," he said softly, wiping away a tear from my cheek, though his eyes never left mine.
"Get away from her!" Julian snarled angrily, but as soon as he made a move he got knocked down on the ground instantly. The magician was choking him with a single hand, his eyes scanning Julian's face with suspicion. "What exactly are you?" He asked mostly to himself, not caring about me searching for new weapons.
I grabbed my pocket knife and lunged again, but my blade met nothing. He vanished and reappeared effortlessly, moving with a speed that made my head spin.
He toyed with us for what felt like an eternity, vanishing, striking, laughing with cruel delight, until exhaustion stole our strength. We sank to the road, backs pressed together, gasping for breath, scanning the fog for any chance of escape. Bruises screamed, muscles ached, and every instinct screamed that we couldn't outrun him on foot. I subtly nodded toward the car, and Julian seemed to understand. I took a cautious step through the dense fog, but as if he had been waiting for it, the man reappeared in our path, splitting us apart once more.
He glanced briefly at Julian, who had nearly reached the car, then turned his gaze back to me. The flicker of amusement in his eyes deepened, curling the corner of his mouth into a smirk, and in that instant I knew.
Time slowed. For the first time, I could read his next move. Dread coiled inside me, twisting my stomach as I realized he was going for Julian. I had to move, but my body refused, frozen by fear and exhaustion.
The air shifted around him, tense and electric, humming with the promise of violence. He was about to strike.
Desperation took over. I did the only thing I could think of. I drove the dagger into my own leg. Pain tore through me, sharp and blinding, but it worked. I broke free from the paralysis and lunged forward. I reached Julian just in time to shove him aside.
I did it.
For a heartbeat, I stood there in disbelief. My lips parted, my mind spinning with a thousand thoughts. Then warmth bloomed across my chest, thick and wet. I looked down and blood was spilling through my shirt.
He stood before me, his hand buried deep in my chest, his fingers wrapped around my heart. The world narrowed to the sound of my pulse, slowing under his grip. My back hit the car as my knees buckled. His eyes turned completely to violet, burning with anger, disgust, and something else. Something hauntingly close to sorrow.
"What have you done?" he whispered, the regret in his voice cutting through the haze.
I stared at him, dazed, unable to understand. Maybe I was imagining it, but he looked almost… pained. His gaze darted toward Julian, filled with venom, before snapping back to me. I reached for his wrist weakly, my voice barely a whisper.
"P-please…"
Blood filled my mouth, staining every word.
"Is he that important to you?" he asked quietly. The anguish in his tone was so deep, it sounded as if I were the one crushing his heart instead of the other way around.
A tired smile curved my lips as I looked at him, at the turmoil flickering across his face. Strangely, it felt like I already knew those eyes — their pain, their curse.
Slowly, he withdrew his hand from my chest. My knees gave out, but his arms were already there, catching me before I hit the ground. I sank against him, my legs folding onto the cold, damp concrete.
Then, as if the world itself took a breath, the fog began to thin. Golden rays of sunlight broke through the fading blue sky, scattering warmth across the ruined road. Somewhere in the distance, birds began to sing soft, hesitant notes that carried the promise of a new beginning.
And from the car, through the cracked silence, a song played:
Pure Morning,
Pure Morning,
Pure Morning,
Pure Morning...