Ashes Falling like Snow on a Moonless Night

Looks like I can’t fall asleep again.

Might as well evaluate where I’m at in terms of magic power. Currently, I can manipulate my blood into whatever shape I want, but if I use too much blood I naturally start feeling weak. I can only make my blood about as hard as a wooden sword, so I came up with the idea of using bandages as a medium through which I can manipulate and augment easier. It also uses less blood, so I can wield multiple bandage-blood whips that move independently. Now-

Hold on, something smells kinda funny. No thats not a funny smell, that’s the smell of burning.

Also, someone is in my room. Normally that’s not something crazy, but I think it’s around 2 am right now. Needless to say, they definitely do not come with good intentions.

It sounds like they are quietly walking over towards my bed. They’re not being overly cautious, but are still silent as to not wake me. It seems that they are underestimating me because this body is only that of a child’s.

7 steps away. 6 steps away. What should I do? If they’ve made it past all the guards and this far then they must be skilled. 5 steps away. 4 steps away. I have one chance to surprise them while they still have their guard down. But I don’t have my bandages with me so my blood magic won’t be strong enough to instantly K.O. them. Shit, I should’ve trained more. 3 steps away. 2 steps away. I’ll augment my leg muscles, kick him once in the face, then make a break for it. Maybe it’ll be strong enough to knock him out. Either way I don’t have any other option. One step away.

Bam. Through the wall, my guardian angel came bursting through clad in fire. She delivered a left hook to the intruder’s face, launching him across the room. The intruder crumpled up into a heap in the corner.

Adam: Holy shit

Ash: You probably could’ve taken that guy you know? Anyways Adam we have a situation on our hands.

As she said this, I could hear the raging fire through the newly renovated open-concept wall. I also heard some yelling going on in the distance.

Ash: Listen very carefully Adam, I’m only going to say this once. The entire mansion is under attack by unknown assailants. In the forest north of the mansion is a carriage waiting for you. We will flee there, meet your mother and then escape westward towards the border–

I could hear people closing in on our position. Ash, also noticing this, picked me up and ran into the hallway.

???: There she is! Get her!

Carrying me in her arms, we dashed through the rapidly crumbling halls of the mansion.

Ash: Adam. I’ve always wanted to thank you.

The floor crumbled in front of the duo, revealing a raging inferno underneath.

Ash: I realize though that I haven't always been the best to you–

Bursting through another wall, we took a detour around the collapsed floor.

Adam: What is this? What are you trying to say?

Ash: I’ve found something to keep living for.

Two men in front of us. With a well placed kick from Ash, one was knocked down and we charged past the second. Several more were now in pursuit.

Ash: This life had meaning and so I no longer have any regrets. I have you to thank for that Adam.

Adam: stop…

Behind a certain bookshelf in the second floor library was a secret passage that led to the gardens to the north of the mansion. Ash pushed Adam into the passageway without giving him opportunity to resist and began closing the door behind him. As Adam looked back into the library, he saw no less than 20 assassins closing in.

Ash: Run. Run as fast as you can - My Beloved Pupil.

The door shut completely and Pax was left in the dark.

Adam: Don’t do this! STOP!

No matter how hard I tried, the door wouldn’t budge. She must’ve barricaded the other side somehow. I could hear sounds of intense fighting coming from the other side, but all I could do was listen.

Adam: DAMN IT. damn it all

Next thing I knew I was running as fast as I could down a completely dark hallway. Even after falling down on my face several times along the way, I didn’t stop running.

Emerging from the tunnel, the first thing I saw was a garden of fire. The beautiful flowerbeds that Adam’s mother had personally planted had been reduced to naught but ash. Even from here, the sounds of Ash clashing with the assassins could be heard. It seems that the assassins had given up on being subtle.

Pax: Naturally, one cannot hold anything back if trying to win a fight against my sensei… I’m sure she’ll be fine.

The rendezvous point was not far now. Only a couple hundred feet to the edge of the forest.

Martha: Adam! Over here!

Calling to me was Adam’s mother, who was standing next to a rather worn out looking servant. No doubt, getting here hadn’t been easy for them either.

Adam: Where is father?

Martha: –He’s… gone ahead of us.

Her smile disappeared momentarily with that question before returning again in a much more forced and painful way.

I see. He’s dead. Probably the primary target of this operation.

Martha opened her mouth again to say something, but was cut off by a large explosion coming from the mansion.

In the moment after the explosion, a blinding light was unleashed from the mansion. It rapidly increased in intensity until it swallowed up the entire night. Then the ground shook as if the earth were splitting underneath our feet. In it’s wake, a flame in the shape of a rose stood piercing the sky. Under it’s radiance, an inferno grew where the Witherton estate once stood.

Pax: Ash?

Before being able to fully process what I had just witnessed, Martha scooped me up and ran towards the carriage in the woods. After getting inside the carriage, she set me down and we sat there in silence. It took until the the carriage started moving for me to be able to form any coherent thoughts.

Ash killed herself? No, Ash sacrificed herself. For me.

Pax: why…

She said that… no, she said nothing helpful. I don’t understand. She gave up her life. For me of all people?

No. nonono. She said that Adam had given her life meaning. No, stop with the jokes. This isn’t funny.

…

My name isn’t even Adam.

Pax: Ash…

Don't you know? The boy you sacrificed yourself for died at birth and was replaced with a monster.