A Burden of Power

Ren began to back away as the Snow-dusted people approached them. His steps quickened until he turned his back on them and was essentially running. The soft crunch of his shoes in the snow was drowned out by the muffled thud of footsteps behind them, which got louder with every second. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the grim faces of their pursuers, their eyes glinting in the faint light.

"Ren…?" Lily slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at his face. She ran her hand along his jawline, trying to make out his features. Ren pulled away.

"Not now. I'm running for our lives. So, if you're okay, I'd appreciate it if you could run on your own two beautiful feet," he panted, his breath forming small clouds. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest.

"I think I'll just go back to sleep."

"Hey!"

Ren's entire body began to give out. His arms ached under the extra weight as his legs carried them, and the pain clutching his heart began to intensify, as the air was also forced from his lungs. Lily looked up again. The color of her eyes had changed. Her teal eyes glowed brightly as she looked over his shoulder, searching for something.

"The entrance to the tunnel is about 20 meters to your right."

Ren was speechless. He even questioned whether her eyesight had really gotten worse, or if that was just a joke. "How did you know that...?"

Lily cut him off. "I see magic as floating silhouettes. Since the illusion of the mountain that hides the hole was created with magic, I can pinpoint it. But the Snow-dusteds are a different story. If they were from Ivory or Ebony, I would be sure of their location, because everyone has a little magic in them. But these don't, so I have no idea where they are."

"Okay. Just tell me where to go, and I'll get us there!"

Lily guided Ren like a GPS while he tried to dodge the weapons that they threw at him. Their attacks focused on his back and legs, trying to slow him down.

"Oh, a fireball is heading straight to your head," said the girl simply, without any emotion. Ren lowered his head in time, allowing him to see the magical attack fly past them and slam into the snow.

"Don’t ‘oh’ me! You could have told me sooner!" he snapped.

"But I knew you would be able to dodge it." She smiled sweetly, but Ren was not impressed.

"Don't give me so much credit!"

According to Lily's calculations, they were approaching the entrance, yet Ren still felt like he was fumbling in the dark. He caught sight of the spot she had led him to and stopped. The girl looked up at him curiously, but she didn't meet his eyes, so she just stared up at his hair.

"Why did you stop? The entrance is right there." She pointed. But Ren's feet were rooted to the ground as three people blocked their escape, standing in front of the entrance. His thoughts raced wildly, wondering what to do, but he didn't have much time as the people who were chasing them caught up.

"Dammit." He cursed as he turned to face the three people. As a precaution, he tried to direct his magical power into his right hand, but it didn't really work while he was holding something. As a last resort, he thought about simply dropping the girl and taking care of everyone. He was angry and annoyed, but he wasn't a monster; he didn't want bloodshed. These people also had families and lived their weird lives in this constantly cold place.

The three Snow-dusted must have done something, because they suddenly gained magical power. Lily squeezed his shirt harder as she also sensed the danger. He carefully put her down in the snow and intertwined their fingers. No matter how much she could see with her magic, every stray tree, bump, and the other magicless people slipped out of her line of sight.

"If I can stay in one place, I can hold them off. Just like I did with Haku in my house. I'm still a little groggy, but it should work for a few minutes."

Despite being a girl wanted by everyone, Lily's determined expression was a clear act of courage. Ren bit his lip. He couldn't leave her alone.

"No!" he stated firmly. "Follow me! I'll take care of it."

He began to run, dragging the girl behind him, making sure no obstacles got close enough to hurt her. He shot magic at the snow-dusted’s feet to kick up fresh snow and momentarily confuse their vision. He did this several times, but during one maneuver, a prepared man blocked the rising snow and shot at Ren. If he had jumped, the spell would have hit Lily, so he pulled the girl behind him, thinking his body would protect her. But she pushed him away. The boy's body landed with a thud. He desperately lifted his head to see what she was trying to achieve. Her shoulder slumped as the hit reached her chest. She made a painful face, her features distorted. Ren reached out to her, as if to ease her pain, but he only grabbed the air. Lily's expression changed, as if the hit hadn't happened at all. She looked strong and confident as she puffed out her chest. She pressed three outstretched fingers to her thumb, holding her pinky finger out. She had made the same hand gesture in her house in Ivory Concord. But now, somehow, the situation was different. Ren got goosebumps from the vibe that surrounded them.

Her eyes glowed ominously as she held both of her arms up in the strange hand gesture. Her hair looked electric, standing slightly on end. Ren was afraid that if she stood still like that, anyone could catch up to her and attack from behind, but to his surprise, no one moved. All the Snow-dusted were on their knees. They lifted their faces to the sky with their mouths agape. Ren stood up and walked to the nearest one. He waved his hand in front of the man's eyes, whose irises had disappeared, but no reaction. Then he shook the man strongly by the shoulder, but he was like a corpse. Ren suddenly turned his head to Lily. He realized she was doing this. But now, she wasn't just freezing them, like she did to Haku, and she wasn't just sucking the borrowed magic out of them. She did more: she tried to take their souls.

Ren tackled the girl into the snow, who was still in a trance-like state. The silence of the snowy clearing felt deafening, broken only by the sound of their ragged breathing and the faint hum of power. The stillness was a stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded.

"Jen, we need to talk! I'm so sorry for what I said. I'm sorry, I'm always so selfish. You were right. I have a new family. You two and sometimes, maybe Zel too."

Ren nervously glanced at Haku, who was terrible at reading the situation. "Haku. As you can see, this is not a good time!"

Haku looked around, and as soon as she realized what was happening, she threw herself into the snow. She pressed her ear to Lily's chest, then ripped the top open with her hand, exposing the girl's covered breasts. Haku put her index finger under her breast and shook her head disapprovingly.

"She needs more magic!"

"I think she has enough already!" the boy yelled back.

"That's exactly it, you idiot! We're overheating her system until it shuts down. Kiss her! Put your power or whatever into your mouth!"

Ren leaned closer with a pink face without a second thought and put his lips on Lily's. A jolt of warmth, like a lightning strike, shocked Lily's system back to life. Her eyes popped open, and she pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice breathless and her face a bright red. She looked down at her bare chest. A gasp of pure humiliation escaped her, and she frantically wrapped the torn piece around herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, hot and angry. "What are you doing?" she repeated the question, her voice cracking with hysteria.

Ren sucked on his bloody lip, which the girl had bitten, and prepared an explanation, but Haku fell onto both his and Lily’s necks, sobbing and spouting nonsensical things.

A low groan rumbled from one of the fallen Snow-dusted. Another's fingers twitched, and a third's head rolled slightly to the side. The trance was breaking. Ren’s own moment of panic vanished, replaced by a cold surge of adrenaline. He pushed Haku away and shook her, attempting to silence her sobs.

"Haku, they're waking up! We have to go, now!"

Haku's tearful face hardened in an instant, her eyes snapping back to her surroundings. She wiped her face and hoisted Lily into her arms, the girl's body limp and heavy. Ren scrambled onto Haku's back next to her sword, wrapping his arms around her neck. Just as they neared the tunnel, a few of the men on the ground stirred. A low roar of pure rage rumbled through the air, and one of them struggled to his feet, a burst of weak magic fizzling in his outstretched hand. But it was too late. Haku moved at a terrifying, incredible speed, as if the extra weight didn't bother her at all.

And they disappeared through the tunnel before the Snow-dusted could recover.