Marcus
The forest felt
different at night.
Not quiet or
peaceful, but alive.
Every step we took
deeper into it made that feeling stronger, like something unseen was shifting
just out of sight, watching. Waiting.
"You feel that?" I
asked under my breath.
Callie didn't look
back. "Good. That means you're paying attention."
That wasn't
reassuring.
Behind us, Riley
and Noah stayed close, quieter than usual. Even Ella- who had argued the entire
morning about coming- was silent now.
Seraphina walked
ahead, calm as ever, like none of this bothered her in the slightest.
"This is a lesser
one," she said without turning. "Weak. Unstable. But still dangerous."
"Define
dangerous," Riley muttered.
"It can kill you,"
Callie replied simply.
That shut her up.
We stopped in a
small clearing.
The air felt
heavier here.
Thicker.
Like breathing
took just a bit more effort.
Seraphina finally
turned to me.
"Find it."
I frowned. "That's
it? No hints?"
Her expression
didn't change. "If you need hints, you're not ready."
That answer
annoyed me more than it should have. But I stepped forward anyway.
Focused. The
bracelet was still. Quiet but I could feel something else.
A faint pull.
Not strong but
there.
I followed it
slowly, stepping past the edge of the clearing.
The deeper I went,
the colder it got.
Then I heard it.
A soft, uneven sound.
Like something
dragging across the ground.
I stopped.
My grip tightened
around the short swords.
"Found you," I
muttered.
It stepped into
view.
And for a second,
I didn't move.
The thing looked…
wrong.
Humanoid but
stretched.
Its limbs too
long.
Its head tilted at
an unnatural angle, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
Its skin looked
like it was barely holding together.
Like it wasn't
meant to exist.
"Yeah… that's
unsettling," I whispered.
It twitched then
moved fast.
Too fast.
I barely reacted
in time, bringing one blade up as it lunged.
The impact sent me
back a step.
I pushed forward,
striking quickly- one blade aimed at its side.
It twisted.
Dodged. Then came at me again.
Sharp.
Unpredictable.
I tried to match
it.
Step. Strike.
Turn, but something felt off.
My timing and
rhythm.
This wasn't like
training.
It wasn't
controlled or predictable.
It was chaotic.
The creature
lunged again, its movements jerky but fast, forcing me to block awkwardly as I
stumbled back.
"Come on…" I
muttered.
Focus.
I stepped in,
trying to close the distance like before-
But It didn't
react like Callie.
It didn't follow
patterns.
It didn't
hesitate.
Its arm shot
forward, catching me across the side before I could react.
Pain flared.
I staggered.
That.. shouldn't
have happened.
I reset my stance,
breathing harder now.
"Again," I told
myself.
I moved.
Faster this time.
More aggressive. A
clean strike-
It missed.
Completely.
The thing twisted
unnaturally, its body bending in ways that didn't make sense before slamming
into me again.
Harder this time.
I hit the ground.
Air knocked out of my lungs.
For a second,
everything blurred.
"You're
hesitating," Callie's voice echoed in my head.
I gritted my
teeth, forcing myself up again.
"I'm not-"
But I was. Because
this wasn't training.
This thing wanted
to kill me. And somewhere deep down.
I wasn't fully
ready to kill it back.
That hesitation
cost me again.
It lunged-
And I was too
slow.
"Move!" Callie's
voice cut through everything.
Then she ran past
me but not without snatching the bracelet.
Her whip cracked
through the air, wrapping around the creature's neck and yanking it back before
it could reach me.
She didn't stop or
hesitate.
Her movement were
clean. Efficient.
The whip
tightened, puling the creature off balance before she stepped in, closing the
distance in a way I hadn't even thought of.
Her arm moved.
Fast. Sharp.
And the creature-
Stopped. Just like
that.
Silence fell.
The thing
collapsed, its body going still almost instantly. Like whatever held it
together had been cut off.
I stood there,
breathing hard, staring at where it had been.
"That.. was
supposed to be easy, right?" I muttered.
Callie didn't
answer immediately.
She just stared at
the ground where the creature had fallen.
Then she uncoiled
the whip slowly.
That's when I saw
it.
Her hand. Red.
Burnt.
The mark spread
from her wrist upward like something alive beneath her skin.
I frowned. "What's
that?"
She flexed her
fingers slightly.
"Nothing."
"That doesn't look
like nothing."
She glanced at me,
then sighed quietly.
"It's the price."
"For what?"
She lifted her
wrist slightly.
"The realm."
I blinked.
"You're not the
wielder," I said slowly.
"I know."
"Then why use it?"
"Because you
weren't.'
That stung a bit.
"But that- "I
gestured toward her arm. "That's not normal."
"It's not supposed
to be."
The burn mark
pulsed slightly.
"The realm rejects
anyone who isn't the wielder," she said. "It fights back."
"..Then why aren't
you…?"
"Dead?" her gaze
held mine. "Because I'm still an Azzurro."
I nodded slowly.
"it's in our
blood," she continued. "That's the only reason I can hold it at all."
"And the burn?"
"It gets worse the
longer I use it."
I frowned.
"Then why risk
it?"
Her expression
didn't change.
"Because I'm not
losing my brother again."
That shut me up
immediately.
Silence stretched
between us.
Heavy.
I looked back at
where the creature had been.
Then at my hands.
".. I messed that
up," I admitted.
Callie didn't deny
it.
"You hesitated,"
she said.
"I know."
"You thought too
much."
"I know."
"You didn't
commit."
"I said I know!"
my voice sharper.
She didn't react.
Just watched me.
Because she wasn't
judging me.
She was stating
facts. And I couldn't argue with any of them.
I exhaled slowly,
dragging a hand through my hair.
"That was a lesser
demon," I said.
"Yes."
"And I couldn't
even handle it."
"You will." That
made me look at her.
"You're not ready
yet," she added. "That's different."
I let out a quiet
breath, It didn't make feel better but it was honest.
From behind us,
Noah stepped forward slightly.
"Okay," he said.
"So that thing was 'lesser'?"
"Yeah," I
muttered.
".. we're in
trouble."
I let out a small
chuckle.
As we started
heading back, one thought stayed in my mind.
Not the fight,
failure, not even the demon.
It was the burn on
Callie's arm and what she said.
The
realm rejects who isn't its wielder.
Which meant one
thing.
The power-
Was mine.
And if I didn't
learn how to use it properly-
Someone else would
keep paying the price.