Chapter 17: An Absolute State of Mind

With a deep breath, I open my eyes. The light of the moon illuminates what is the dead of night. A gentle breeze brushes past, rustling the leaves of the tree I’m sitting under along with the blades of grass surrounding me. It gives me this calming feeling, one that you’d only get during the dead of night.

“Sintobi!” Yells a familiar voice, the grass crunching beneath her feet with each step.

Looking up, I realize it’s Theresa running towards me with bated breath. When slowing down before me, she bends down to catch her breath. I guess she must have gotten caught and decided to make her quick escape. After all, all of us are playing a game of hide and seek right now.

“It’s a good thing you weren’t seeking or else I’d be caught.” I say with a giggle.

Taking another deep breath, she straightens her posture while moving aside her long brown hair covering her eyes.

“Taking it easy during a game of hide-and-seek? How fearless.” She remarks with a sly grin, as if agreeing to become an accomplice to this secret operation.

“Operation: Relax-a-lot!” I shout, sitting up against the tree.

As we laugh at the idea, another breeze slips past us. Theresa’s hair flutters as she gazes beyond the hill we sit atop into the dark forest. It’s the sort of scene neither of us get to see very often, since it’s normal for us to be moving constantly during nighttime.

“Hey, why did you choose to sit here instead of hiding?” Theresa asks, turning to me with a raise of her brow.

“I am hiding, you just ended up finding me first.” I say with a shrug.

She chuckles. “You call this hiding? More like you didn’t even try.”

“…Hey Theresa, what do you think of this view?” I ask her.

Theresa turns back towards the landscape over the hill. Her eyes, searching for what’s already right in front of her, as another breeze passes by. Slight ripples form on the surface of the river in the distance, marking a slight blemish on the scene before us.

“There’s nothing really.” Theresa says with a shake of her head.

“Exactly, that’s the beauty of it. We haven't set up camp near such beautiful scenery in awhile. It’s almost as if it’s stuck in time.”

“I never took you for a nature lover.” She says, sitting down next to me against the tree.

“Is it that strange? We've been wandering through it for as long as I can remember.” I ask while resting my hands behind my head against the tree.

Theresa nods. “Well, I have to admit it sure is calm and peaceful here.”

As we’re sitting here, a sense of calm sets in. The sounds of crickets along with the hooting of the owls resonate with me, leaving me with a feeling of peace. And judging by the look on Theresa’s face, I can tell she feels the same.

One of the bushes behind us rustles. When we turn around, Mikel shuffles out from the bushes with a stumble. His determined expression brightens to a smile the moment our eyes meet.

“Ha, I found you guys! You guys made this way too easy…” Mikel begins to gloat, yet his enthusiasm diminishes. “Why are you two just sitting there?”

“Big sis, I’m so sorry I got caught!” Cries an even younger girl, as she runs out of the bushes as well.

Theresa gets up to comfort Eena. She’s always quick to cry during these sorts of games, which is why Theresa is used to this sort of thing.

“What were you guys up to?” Mikel asks, looking at both of us.

“I decided to change my hiding spot, and that’s when I found Mr.comfortable over here.” Theresa explains while patting Eena’s head as she continues sniffling and wiping away her tears.

“Hey, it’s not like I didn’t try! I just thought this would be a great spot to get comfortable.” I protest as Mikel bursts into laughter.

“Well I guess this means I’ve won! And as the winner, I demand to sit in that spot of yours.” Mikel says, crossing his arms with a mischievous grin.

“Huh?! No way, I found it first!”

“Oh, is that right? Well you know what they say, winner takes all!” Mikel says with a huge grin as he starts tugging on my shirt.

“Come on you two, cut it out. We can enjoy this together.” Theresa says as the voice of reason, yet we instead ignore her pleas and continue scuffling.

It’s the same sort of rough housing we usually got up too as kids, but it feels like an eternity ago. Remembering the smile on Theresa’s face as we argued, it was clear that each of us were having fun. In the moment, we were living in a world separate from the adults, a world of peace.

It was often easy to run away and catch a glimpse of that world, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to bask in it under the soothing moonlight. We all did, which is why all of us chose to stop our bickering and relax under the tree, peacefully…

“Take this!” Ava shouts, severing the very air itself as it whistles.

Raising my blood blades forward, our weapons clash. The intensity behind her attacks have yet to reach her peak, but I’d imagine this won’t be the case for long. Which is why I can’t afford to get so lost in thought about the past. What’s important to me right is what’s in front of me…or at least that’s what I’ve chosen.

“Your Influence is starting to give way under hers, are you okay?” The Man asks, almost echoing my thoughts.

“Never felt better! How about you just sit back and watch like we promised.” I mutter to him, as Ava pushes forward the Influence emanating from her miasma. The scent is getting heavier and more potent, like a thick cloud of smoke filling my lungs. It’s repulsive. It reminds me of them.

“Oh no, I don’t intend on intervening. However, I must remind you that you still have one wish left. Perhaps it would be easier to-”

“I would be a fool to waste a miracle on something as trivial as this!” I say to him as I’m leaning face-to-face with Ava, bolstering my Influence.

As I’m pushing her back, I conjure more blood serpents from the blood scattered around us. I need to get more of my blood into her body so I can immobilize her long enough to…to do what exactly? I can’t kill her, I need to distract her long enough to get her to listen to me. Is that even possible though?

Ava strikes back with a kick to my stomach, creating a bit of distance between the two of us. This allows her the opportunity to toss her scythe at full force, as her forearms are imbued in a thick black haze.

With quick reflexes, I block her scythe spinning towards me at neck level. Pushing against my blade, it howls and shrieks, mirroring Ava’s desire for my demise. At the same time, with a twist of her upper body she again scatters my blood serpents with her outstretched arms. It’s almost frightening how agile she is, but this isn’t much more than what I’ve come to expect. In fact, it’s just what I need.

Using the very same blood she just scattered midair, I conjure up more blood serpents. But this time, I use the remaining blood left soaking in the grass beneath us as well. Sure, this blood is a result of my refusal to take her seriously, but I’m not making the same mistake twice.

There’s a glint in her eyes as the serpents approach her. She twists into a backflip atop another gravestone, dodging the cascade of serpents pursuing her from above and below. And since just evading them isn’t enough to slow down their pursuit, she continues to hop and flip away. At the same time, I notice something.

As she’s evading my blood serpents, the Influence behind her scythe gets weaker. This isn’t what I was expecting, but it seems she must be having a hard time splitting her focus. Meaning this is my chance.

With a slash of my blood blade I knock away her scythe and charge towards her. Leaping from gravestone to gravestone, I feel a sense of confidence wash over me. This should be it.

Ava comes to a full stop, balancing herself with a handstand atop a gravestone. In the same breath, she rotates herself on one hand into a twirling helicopter kick, kicking away my blood serpents.

The sight of my blood scattered midair is yet again a spectacle, but this time it’s left her back wide open. I’ve covered most of the distance between us at this point, so there’s no way she can come out unscath-

“…Peek-a-Boo, I see you!” Ava shouts, after turning her head backwards.

“Sintobi!” The Man warns. I’d forgotten this was one of the few tricks she has up her sleeve as a dullahan.

A black bead converges onto the tip of Ava’s tongue, before flourishing into a harrowing stream in an instant. I try skirting to my left, but it still catches my right arm. The intense burning sensation is almost enough to make me cry out in pain, but I grit my teeth instead. She got me.

Jumping away from her, I notice her smug grin. I can make up for my lack of Influence with strategy, but if she keeps adapting, the gap between us will only get wider.

“That was a close one, huh? I had my doubts, but it seems you’ve managed to handle my attack up close. ” Ave says while cartwheeling to her feet.

“You’re really not making this easy for me. Do you give every guy you meet this much trouble?” I scoff, still grasping my right arm. The miasma lingering on the surface of my blistered skin, causing a searing sensation.

“As a matter of fact, yes. But you seem to be handling me quite well.”

“Well, it’s like the old humans used to say when describing their uniqueness. What was it again, oh yes! ‘I’m not like the other boys.’” I say with a bit of laughter, knowing I can’t show a shred of fear.

I still get a sense that she’s toying with me, so hitting her with the element of surprise is my best bet. Even if the likelihood of achieving that again is slim.

Our eyes meet, as the weight of her Influence pushes against my own. It’s a war of not just physical prowess, but the intangible. I’d expect this amount of Influence when fighting face-to-face, but we’re standing a reasonable distance from each other and it feels like she’s trying to engulf me, but it’s not enough. I won’t be distracted.

Putting my left arm behind my back, I raise a blood barrier from my fingernails. The whistling stops abruptly, as the sharp blade of her scythe collides with my barrier.

“You most certainly aren't like the others, but you and I both know this charade can’t last forever!” She remarks, leaping atop one of the gravestones before her. “Throughbred’s Stride!”

The miasma thickens around her. Hearing the sound of her heels clamoring as she charges forward, I realize I have little options. With the immense amount of Influence she’s using to control her scythe, it’s hard not to focus on it. Then there’s the matter of my right arm, which hurts each time I even try to move it.

With a twist of her body into a finale spin midair, the front of her boot collides with the side of my face. The sensation is akin to a knife being driven through my Influence as it digs into my face, causing my mind to go blank.

“Mommy, daddy, help me!” yells a familiar voice.

I snap back to reality, my brain still rattling from the impact. Now’s my chance!

Forming a blood blade with my left hand, I fight against the blistering pain as I grab hold of her leg, jerking her closer. And with a shout, I clench the blade at my side and slash her torso upwards in the same breath.

Ava bolsters her Influence with a shriek, allowing her to break free of my grip. Stumbling back, I lose control of my blood barrier but something pulls me to the side. With her scythe whizzing past me, I turn to my supposed guardian angel.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t interfere.” I say to him, rubbing the side of my face.

“And we also agreed that you’d show me your dream. I’m only ensuring you can hold up your end of the bargain.” The Man says with a smirk while crossing his arms.

Ava grabs her scythe mid flight and holds it at her side; blood leaking from the wound I inflicted across her chest. She’s trying to hide it, but I can tell she’s having trouble catching her breath. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s progress nonetheless.

“I must say, I’m impressed with your use of caution. It’s commendable really, but you know as well as I do that your showing there was far too close for comfort.” The Man warns while appraising me with his eyes.

“You make it sound as if I’ve run out of cards to play, when that isn’t the case.” I scoff, raising what’s left of my blood blade. “...One is starting to come into play.”

Ava starts to moan and retch, as thick veins protrude up her neck causing her to thrash around in panic. The Man watches as she grasps at her throat, screaming and shouting as her Influence fluctuates. Yet the pain doesn’t seem to be letting up.

She glances over at me, giving me the sense that I've raised her suspicions. And after a few moments, her eyes widened. Her suspicions are correct.

Shrouding her arm in miasma, she grabs at the wound on her chest, but I in turn heal it with my own blood. Checkmate.

“Damn you!” She screams.

As she’s coming towards me, my eyes start honing in on her movements. It’s as if time itself has slowed, as my cells start coordinating pathways along her vascular system, unraveling a precise network of connections stemming from her core. Illuminating a series of red flickers.

With her fist shrouded in miasma, she takes a swing, but it misses. She throws another with her other fist before repeating with her first, but those miss as well.

The act of dodging implies a reaction to evade an incoming force, but there wasn’t anything to react to. That would suggest that her assault was unexpected, but it wasn’t. From the moment my blade hit her, I gained far more than just the upper hand.

“Dammit, you did something, didn't you?!” Ava yells with a kick, only for it to miss yet again.

“These are the lengths I need to go to get you to listen.” I confess, as her following series of kicks are a complete miss. “Forgive me…”

“Impressive.” The Man comments, as Ava misses another punch.

Screaming in frustration, she takes her scythe from her back and slashes downward. Naturally, it misses, along with her subsequent attempts that follow with a whistle.

“It’s that filth you call blood isn’t it? I knew there was something strange about those swords!” she groans while reaching for my neck, but ends up clutching air in return.

“I’ll have you know that my blood is some of the purest amongst vampires. Is that not the reason you invited me to the capitol building in the first place?”

“Gloat all you want! You know as well as I do that this won’t last for long!”

“Are you sure about that?” I ask before grabbing the back of her scythe. She tries pulling it away, but can’t due to the firmness of my grip.

I let her struggle for a moment longer before letting go. Ava jumps back with bated breath. There’s an intense look in her eyes, but she isn’t acting on it. It’s uncharacteristic of her, but she looks hesitant. Even the way she clenches her scythe implies some sense of doubt in her mind.

Whether or not we continue this fight is up to her, but I’d imagine that giving up isn’t an option for her at this point. If her actions are her own, and aren’t the fault of her Tale, then this is a matter of her own pride. Up until this point, she has dominated all that stood before her. But the creature who is bringing her close to submitting, is the creature who let her down.

I look her in the eyes. “You’ve done enough.”

Ava eyes widen, as she clenches her fist. “What are you going on about?”

“Continuing your Tale at this point will get you nowhere, it’s a fool's errand…”

“Well look at you, now you’ve gotten a big head cause you’ve managed to outsmart me a few times!” Ava shouts while brandishing her scythe, her arms trembling. “Don’t get ahead of yourself!”

“No, I’m not trying to humiliate you. My intention is to spare you…for both our sakes.” I say to her in the firmest tone I can muster.

Her anger is dampened by her look of shock, as her mouth goes agape. Still at a loss for words, she grits her teeth, leaving the miasma to seep through the gaps of her teeth. What follows is the flow of more from every orifice on her head, as the look in her eyes twists back into anger. Her Influence thickening.

My perception of her Influence is waning, but in turn, I can feel it. Like the rolling tide of the ocean, it creeps between my fingers before enveloping my entire body in its waves. She’s doing this in hopes that I will drown.

Ava points her scythe at me. “Now you’ve done it…”

My blood has yet to discern her next move, but….the air whistles.

“A near miss, what a shame.” Ava groans, staring deep into my eyes. The blade of her scythe held next to my right arm.

While her attack missed, she somehow managed to get this close.

Ava throws a punch, missing my chest, but follows up with a kick that ends in a near miss too. Twisting her body along with the kick, she sheathes her scythe on her back.

“This is slowing me down!” She shouts as she throws another punch using that same hand. Once again it misses, but the following one nearly catches me in the stomach.

I motion to hop atop another gravestone in an attempt to put some distance between us, but my legs feel sluggish. Moving feels like I’m pushing against something, but nothing is there. Ava closes the distance and throws another punch with a tremendous amount of Influence behind it.

It misses. She groans with a click of her tongue, throwing another punch at my face with the same intensity. It’s yet another near miss, but the Influence behind it doesn’t just disappear. It dissipates outward from the arc of her swing like a rushing current. Now it all makes sense.

It’s not that I’ve gotten slower, but it’s her Influence that’s submerging me. And with her miasma getting thicker, it’s to the point her Influence is indistinguishable from what’s physical. This is nothing like what happened to Ordelia in The Cats Cradle. It feels like I’m drowning in the middle of an ocean, caught in the whim of its currents. Which is almost fitting, since Ava is just as unpredictable as the sea.

Ever so often she chokes up more of the miasma, her eyes wincing from her body's sudden rejection of what is a fraction of the Influence carried by a god. It’s fueling her malice to the point she’s no longer seeking to test my mettle, but to annihilate it. No one else has survived long enough to witness this, and I’m glad they never did.

They would realize that someone like Ava can only be forged by the actions of a god, but who would believe that those same gods would release someone like her upon the world of mortals? Certainly not someone who desires peace; and after encountering them, it’s clear that that’s the case.

This dance of death between us is getting faster the longer it lasts, and judging from the focus in her eyes, she’ll only get faster.

Ava’s heel sweeps past my face in an attempt at a spin kick, only for her to hop into an axe kick that I dodge just as fast. The instant she lands on that same foot, she lunges forwards with her fist. With how close she is, my line of foresight is much clearer, leaving her to swoop past me. Her erratic Influence carries her along like a shark in turbulent waters, as she handstands into a flip.

Landing on her feet, she twists her head backwards into a black bead coalescing on the tip of her tongue. It flourishes into a narrow beam that misses, right before running at me with a flurry of punches. The interval between each strike is troublesome to foresee, with how they’re being thrown out with differing tempos. Not only is she getting faster, but she’s starting to use the element of surprise as well. I’m afraid I’m reaching that point again.

Similar to being submerged, her Influence invades my senses like water filling the lungs. It’s becoming a struggle to breathe, to the point my arms and legs aren’t just feeling slower, they’re giving out. Though my foresight is still just as sharp, my reflexes are being dullened. If I don’t do something, I’ll…

The air whistles, as a familiar warmth spans across my torso. A glimpse of her cheshire-like grin assaults my vision before I-

“Mommy, daddy, help me!” yells that same familiar voice, but it’s clearer this time.

“Eena!” Another familiar voice shouts, sounding as if she’s on the verge of tears.

“Don’t you dare come any closer, you demons!” Yells another man, sounding panicked.

These voices, this scenario, I can’t remember either, but it’s somehow filling me with purpose. No, it’s desperation. There was much more at stake then, so I can’t…

“Blood Puppetry: Adrenaline Rush!” I shout at the top of my lungs. My body stiffens for a second as my hearts start racing. Every beat causes a resounding thump in my ears, to the point it’s the only thing I can hear.

“Finally…giving…all you got?” I hear Ava say, her voice sounding faint and distant, despite her crazed grin. My head feels like it’s in a daze, yet my vision is hyper focused.

Ava cocks her fist back with zeal, throwing yet another punch that I block. The sensation of her miasma against my forearm burns, but it doesn’t compare to what’s brewing within me.

I take a deep breath. Ava’s strike collides with my other forearm, as I intercept her roundhouse kick with my own. It’s strange. My reactions to my foresight are now instinctive, as if my body and the blood within her are perfectly in sync. And judging from the look in her eyes, it’s only making her more excited.

Inhale Exhale…

My blood along her right shoulder flickers red, signaling her motion to strike. As her punch grazes my forearm, another red flicker runs along her other shoulder. With a twist of my body, she misses next strike, but relents with a forward step of her Influence. For a second, my body buckles under the unexpected pressure of her miasma as both her shoulders flicker, leaving me wide open for two jabs to the stomach…

Inhale Exhale…

With both her shoulders flickering, I lean away from the uppercut towards my chin and block the incoming jab at my chest. She pushes her Influence against me like a battering ram, leaving me to wince for a moment right before taking two punches to the face…

Inhale Exhale…

She maneuvers with a step back into a kick that misses, but follows it up with another uppercut that I block with my forearm. Without missing a beat, red flickers surge along her bottom half as she bolsters her Influence into a twisting spin kick midair; striking me in the stomach and chest, before thrashing me with a hard swing to the face…

Inhale Exhale…

Her miasma singes my skin with every strike. It’s how I’d imagine a shark bites a chunk from its prey, though the sensation is drowned out by the tingling of the rest of my senses. My arms and legs are trembling; not out of fear, but excitement. The blood pumping through my arms primes the very tips of my fingers to bursting; it almost makes me want to hit back…

Inhale Exhale…

Seeing another flicker, our fists collide with each other’s faces. Ava flashes a smile at me with my fist held against her cheek, right before striking one another in the face yet again. What follows is a flurry of punches between us, alternating into a series of kicks towards each other’s sides…

Inhale Exhale…

Ava catches me with a jab to the stomach, right as I catch her off-guard with a strike to the face. Her eyes roll back for a split second before snapping back to her senses to strike me with her other fist. It misses my face as I leap with a kick into a revolving spin kick that she uses her forearms to block, only for her to leap forwards with her own. Noticing the red flickers, I deflect both her kicks with my palms as she misses her follow-up jab at my stomach…

Inhale Exhale…

Licking the corners of my mouth, I taste the effervescent mist of blood seeping out like steam from an exhaust. I don’t know how much longer I can last, I’ve lost so much blood already, but I have to keep going. With our Influences piercing one anothers with every consecutive strike, I can’t afford to stall behind. My body has to keep up!

Inhale Exhale…

Our exchange of fists quickens, and it’ll only keep intensifying at this rate. My body at this point is discarding the pain of getting hit while moving on its own.

“Careful now Sintobi, both of you are nearing Mania. You won’t be able to hold back once you’ve reached it.” The Man warns, his voice sounding off in my mind. But my mouth won’t open to respond.

I’m too fixated on the battle before me…wait I’m too focused to even speak? I heard this is how Mania starts, but I can’t afford to stop myself now. The taste of my own blood is getting stronger as it seeps out in a thick haze, making this situation all the more intoxicating. My body has been set ablaze with an inextinguishable fire, yet there’s an urge to quell these flames. And with each strike against Ava, that flame calms, only for it to burn even brighter, stronger.

Inhale Inhale Exhale Exhale…

Leaping into a downward kick, I twist into a spin kick that strikes her forearms in defense. Her stance weakens under my Influence for a slight, but with a stomp, lunges into an uppercut to my chin and jabs me twice in the stomach. The miasma is heavy, but wading though it is starting to get easier, which means…

Inhale Inhale Exhale Exhale…

The fire is singing. Striking with all I got, I feel her Influence rippling aside as my fist connects with her face. With a look of shock, Ava grits her teeth and bolsters her Influence further before lifting her arm to retaliate, but is met with a strike to that arm. And with a step forward, I cock back my fist into a jab at her chest, knocking her off balance.

Inhale Inhale Exhale Exhale…

Seeing this opportunity in front of me, my heart races even faster. Its lone rhythm thumps in my ears like a marching band, rousing a call to action. Towards the Absolute. I lunge at her, striking her in the stomach before following up with a strike to the chest and a final kick to the face.

Ava is knocked aside, crashing into the mausoleum along with the stench of the miasma permeating from her presence. I felt my Influence pierce hers substantially with those last few hits, so why is she laughing?

Amidst the settling of the debris, I hear her cachinnating. With the dust settling, I see her visage approaching me, unveiling her look of almost childlike joy. And what’s scarier than her blushing expression, is the fact that her Influence is still rising.

Inhale Exhale-

One after the other my legs buckle under me, bringing me to my knees. My fingertips feel numb, no, it’s my limbs too. I can’t move at all, but…this fire. It’s still burning inside me, I can feel it still growing. It will not calm.

Like a newborn learning to stand upright, my attempts to get on my feet are fruitless. Licking the corners of my mouth, I lap up only a smidgen of the blood left by the mist along with the essence of what was once there. It’s just as I thought, my body is dry…

“Looks like someone's run out of steam.” Ava says, looking down on me with contempt. “And here I thought you were finally taking me seriously, or perhaps this truly was your best…either way, you disgust me. I was wrong to think you were any different from the other hotheads, since it turns out you were just the most stubborn.”

I need to move, but my body is dry. Cold. She’ll kill me if I-

Ava kicks me in the face, knocking me over on the ground. As my face hits the blood covered grass, she lifts me up by the neck. Hitting me with a jab to the stomach, she then socks me in the face. The impact of each hit hacking away at my very Influence, making the pain feel all the more real. I bolster my Influence, freeing me from her grip and dropping me to the ground.

Writhing on the ground while gasping for air, I'm met with a kick in the side of the chest. It hurts, but the pain dealt to my core is worse.

“Look at you, groveling on the ground like a worm. Is this the might of the Temory clan, its prodigy!?” Ava shouts as she stomps on the side of my face, rubbing it into the dirt. “A creature like you, who expresses such reckless indignation, has no place among those that rest in my necropolis. You showed huge promise in the beginning, but I’m afraid you are stricken with a trait I sorely detest. Cowardice!”

I’m a coward?

With my face pinned in the dirt, I notice the blood scattered on the gravestone beside me.

“B-blood…”

The word escapes my mouth like a dying breath, yet the fire inside me isn’t. Staring at the gray stone tablet before me, I try moving my fingers to reach out. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but-

“Don’t even try it.” Ava sneers, crushing my fingers beneath her feet.

A guttural cry escapes my throat, like the howl of a wounded animal. I want to move my hand from beneath her foot, to cradle it within the other, but I can’t. Even if it’s akin to licking my own wounds, this one in particular hurts. It was so sudden, so cruel, that I didn’t even expect it. What is she?

“You say you’re not like the other boys, but you seem to break just as easily… sooner or later.” She says while lifting me up by my mangled wrist.

Screaming out from the tight grip on my shattered hand, the pressure of her Influence starts beating down on me as well. She’s trying to smother my core, the flame that’s still raging on, but how long will it last? This pain, it’s the agony of death knocking on my door. It feels all too familiar somehow.

Oh right…this is how Ordelia must have felt…

“Yikes, your skin is turning blue! No wonder you’re so desperate for your own blood. It’s too bad you won’t get a chance to achieve that dream of yours.” Ava hisses, holding me up face-to-face.

“You're right, but…saving you…was part of my dream too.” I muster up the strength to say, my lips quivering into what I believe is a smile. She glares at me, the stench of her miasma thickening.

“Goodnight, prodigy of the Temory clan…” She says to me, before punching me in the chest. The sheer amount of Influence not only flings me back, but pierces me at the core. My mind goes blank from the immense pain. I feel so light, yet this burden is still so heavy.

“Mommy, daddy, help me!”

It’s that voice again, it’s always the same.

“Eena!” Shouts the next voice, she sounds like she wants to cry. Why is she so sad?

“Don’t you dare come any closer, you demons!” Yells a man, sounding just as panicked as the two girls. Wait, two girls, do I know them? And why would that man be yelling at them?

I’m starting to feel this sense of panic, but why-

“Let her go!” screams another voice, only this time it isn’t just familiar, it’s me.

Is this a memory of mine? When did this happen and why am I so panicked, so anxious, so scared? I don’t remember ever feeling like this, but I detest it. No one should have to feel this way, only those that seek chaos should fear for their life this much. But even with this much fear in my heart, I can feel something light aglow. It's a realization of what the world ought to be, of what true peace looks like. The start of that fire.