A Dance

I gave a sharp intake of breath, like my lungs were being compressed by some invisible force. As voices from every direction whispered in confusion, I felt Martha’s hand grip tightly around my wrist. But all I could do was stiffly stand there on the spot, unable to take my eyes off the hooded man.

“I don’t want any trouble,” the man said, scratching his chin. “It would be too much of a pain. Just tell me where Donnelius Conqaide is, and I’ll be on my way.”

Glaring up at the man, I grit my teeth so hard that a migraine was starting to form. Hundreds of thoughts were swirling through my head, but my body was still frozen in that disbelieving position. Why? Why am I not moving? Dammit, what the hell –

“Hey!”

A clear voice broke out from the crowd, cutting through all the other indistinct conversations. The voice shocked me out of my stupor and back into my senses, allowing me to breathe again.

“Don’t you know that this is an Oasis private party?” The voice started up again, and the crowd began to clear a path for them to move forward, towards the stage. “No unauthorized persons are allowed here. If you continue without showing your ticket, I’ll call security.”

It can’t be… Frantically pushing my way through the horde of people, I tried to stick my head past the cracks in peoples’ necks to get a glimpse of the person who was speaking.

“Um, did you hear what I said?” The man stared down from the elevated wooden stage, tilting his head. “I don’t care about your party, or any of you people. I just want to know where Donnelius Conqaide is.”

“Then you’re looking in the wrong place.”

Panting, I was finally able to shove my way into a position where I could see the speaker, and I felt my heart stop for a moment. To my horror, Jasmine was scowling up at the hooded man with a defiant expression all over her face, not showing the slightest sign of backing down.

“So, you’re deciding to make this a pain. Nobelys, that conceited little… such vague instructions.” With a heavy sigh, the man raised up an open hand. “Okay, I’m going to give you five seconds, then. Five…”

“Get off the stage!” Jasmine shouted, and her intensity seemed to catch on with the crowd. It was subtle at first, but the people around her began to shout as well. “Hey, get off!”

The man clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Four…”

“Get off!”

“Three…”

No! Looking around left and right, terror filled my eyes, but I couldn’t compel myself to speak out. Stop it! He’s –

“Get off! Get off!”
“Two…”

“Get off!”
“One…”

Forcing my mouth open and thrusting out an arm, I was just barely able to squeeze out a single desperate word. “No –”

“Zero. Oh, that’s too bad.” Instead of lowering his final finger, the hooded man pointed his index finger straight at Jasmine’s feeble little body. Then, in the final moment, I saw a cruel, jeering smile slowly creep its way up the man’s face.

“Absolute Ray.”

After that, even though I had no work energy activated, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. With a powerful burst of wind, a thin, astonishingly purple beam of energy erupted from the tip of the man’s fingers, searing its way through the air. As the air surrounding the thin beam of power lit up an incandescent violet, the hood that had covered the man’s face for so long was slowly blown back over his head by the gust of wind created from the initial blast. And as that hood lazily fell backwards, I suddenly knew why that voice had sounded familiar, and I was chilled to the very marrow of my bones. Standing there, with that atrociously sadistic look plastered over his face, was a man to truly be feared.

Everything about him, from his devilishly handsome features to his shining electric-blue hair, was instantly recognizable. Bushy eyebrows curved over a pair of cruel eyes, and with a sturdy-looking nose and chin, his chiseled body looked like it could crush stone through brute force alone. As he stared down at the crowd with his wild hair scattering in the wind, against the light he almost looked like some kind of celestial deity, ready to impose heavenly judgement down upon a land of helpless mortals.

An elite amongst elites, monster among monsters. That sneering face was one matching the description of a man that had risen to legendary status. One that I had actively worked to avoid, even back in my old world.

Aberon, the ultimate bounty hunter.

As that thought entered my mind, the beam of energy suddenly expanded in a flash of brilliant light, and the world turned pure white, the passionate chanting of the crowd breaking off in an instant. Shaking my head, I achingly forced my eyelids open, squinting until I came to my senses. Blinking a few more times, my eyes had more or less readjusted, but the attack had thrown dirt and dust up into the air so I could still barely see a thing. People were stumbling around all over the place, making the situation even more chaotic than it already was.

Then, I heard the sound of blood dripping to the ground.

Coughing violently, I swatted at the air in front of me, lurching in the direction of the faint noise. At that point, my shoe stepped on top of something wet. Shifting my foot off to the side, a feeling of dread slowly began to creep into me. My shoe had left a trail of dried blood, which was being mixed with the dust in the air. An unexpected gust of wind cleared away some of the dust, and all of a sudden, I was left staring at Jasmine’s body collapsed on the cardboard slab, blood seeping out from underneath her.

“Jas –” My eyes widened. “Jasmine!”

Rushing over to the fallen figure, I wrapped my arm around Jasmine’s shoulder, trying to prop her up. “Hey! Come on, Jasmine!”

“… What?” Coughing, Jasmine opened her eyes with some difficulty. “Don?”

“Just hang in there!” I held my open palms over her. “You’re going to be fine, so just hang in there!”

“What happened?” Weakly batting my arm away, Jasmine looked left and right. “What are you –” It was at that moment that she noticed the warm blood dripping down the arm that she had pushed me away with. Abruptly straightening up, Jasmine gave a sudden sharp gasp of anguish, covering her mouth. But her eyes weren’t trained on herself.

With a dripping noise, a fresh burst of blood dropped down to the cardboard on the ground, but it was coming from behind where Jasmine was kneeling. As the dust cleared at last, a wavering figure appeared, standing in Jasmine’s original position. A single arm was raised up in defense, and a gaping hole was burned through the side of his body. With a choking noise, Connor vomited another stream of blood from his mouth, before his knees gave out and he fell backwards.

It was in that instant that the crowd exploded into a cacophony of screams. It seemed like every person was running in a different direction, not caring about anything but ensuring their own safety.

But before my mind even had the chance to process any of this, my body moved on its own. Through the terrified shrieks and people shoving each other, I had to physically fight my way through to make it over to where Connor was falling, comparable to running against an oppositely flowing river. Catching Connor between my arms, I laid him on the ground as I pressed my palm against his chest. “Physical Bind!”

A soft white glow glittered over Connor’s body, and he froze completely. He stopped blinking, breathing, and his heart rate also stopped. But the blood rapidly flowing outward from the enormous wound had temporarily stopped as well, and his consciousness had likewise been preserved. The beam had seared through his flesh, sealing some of his blood vessels shut. If I totally froze his biological processes at this time, he might still possibly be saved. Without a moment’s break, I spoke again. “Minor Revert Wound!”

With a flash of green, Connor’s frozen body began to heal itself, his internal organs, muscle and bone slowly regenerating from inside the massive hole in his side. In the corner of my vision, I saw Chris holding his arms out, trying to make sure no one stampeded over Connor’s body. But the healing stopped as soon as Connor’s ribcage had grown back halfway, and the effects of Physical Bind were already starting to wear off. Tiny droplets of blood began to bead from the visceral mess, before slowly rolling out again as streams of red.

Damn it! Damn it, damn it! I couldn’t think anything else, but my body kept on moving autonomously. “Minor Revert Wound!”

There was a second flash of green, and Connor’s body resumed its healing process. His ribcage and part of his pelvis finished growing back, while muscles grew over the completed bone. Some of the blood vessels grew back and reattached, but others continued to bleed into Connor’s healing body. Finally, Connor’s skin pulled itself over the mended hole, but only managed to revert to something like scar tissue.

Damn it all! “Minor Revert Wound!”

But this time, nothing more than a tiny fizzle of green sparks emitted from my palm. As Physical Bind’s effects disappeared completely, Connor gave a huge, wheezing cough, and blood spewed from his mouth. At the sight of this, something similar to relief appeared within me, but was drowned out by a much stronger feeling of apprehension. He’s alive, but…

“Jasmine!” Cradling Connor’s head in my arms, I snapped my head over to her. “I’ve tried my best to heal him, but he still has severe internal bleeding! If he isn’t treated quickly, he’s still going to die!”

Jasmine still had her bloody hands cupped around her mouth, tears spilling from the corner of her eyes. With a look of strained denial, she lightly placed her fingers over Connor’s forehead, sobbing quietly. “I’m, sorry…”

“Jasmine!” Firmly grasping her shoulder, I yelled louder, trying to raise my voice over the discordant maelstrom of stomping and screaming. “I need you to take Connor to the nearest hospital, clinic, whatever! If nothing else, there’s one right down the street! It’s a huge sign, with ‘Dr. Owens’ written all over it!”

“What?” Her expression was still fully dazed, as if she hadn’t heard a single word I said. “No, but it’s my fault… Connor…”
“Connor is not dead!” I shouted, staring Jasmine dead in the eye. “If you feel that sorry, then spend the whole rest of your life apologizing to him! But if you don’t bring him to get treatment now, you’re never going to get that chance. Because he will die!”

Jasmine swallowed, and it looked like I finally got through to her. Without bothering to wipe her tears, she hooked her arms around Connor’s armpits, and began to pull.

I looked around desperately. “Can someone else help her?”

Then, I felt a firm touch on my shoulder. Chris gave me a grim nod, before running over to Jasmine and scooping up Connor’s legs. “My car’s just outside the gate. Jasmine, Connor is going to be okay. You just trust me.”

Stifling a sob, Jasmine nodded, the tears still dripping down her face. Together, the two of them carried Connor’s body over to the gate, as he coughed and gave ragged breaths. Looking over, I saw that some people were trying to clamber over the metal fence to escape. With a single sturdy kick, Chris knocked the lock off the frail rusted gates, and he along with Jasmine disappeared from my sight.

By this point the discordant screaming had died down a little, since most people had already managed to escape. Except for maybe about ten, the back-yard of the Oasis was almost totally empty, with those final few still trying to climb or shove their way out.

For the first time since I saw Connor fall, I took a deep breath, before I was interrupted by a booming guffaw from above. With that laugh I was shocked right back into my body, and all my rational thoughts instantly faded away. For the past few minutes, I had unconsciously repressed all my fears because of the crisis situation, but now it all came rushing back.

“You should just give it up, Donnelius,” Aberon snorted, clapping his hands together. “You know, I was watching the whole time. To think that the great mage Donnelius Conqaide would be reduced to healing the wounds of random scum. It’s hilarious!”

His words sparked a rage deep within me, and it worked to push my fear aside a little bit. Actually, my anger at Aberon was so vivid that if it was any other person, I would have attacked already. But as of now, it was only enough for me to turn my head upwards and glare at his repulsive, egotistical face.

Because… My eyes felt strained as I stared up at him. Because I’m a coward. All I can do is negotiate with him, keep him talking, so that… I can live a little longer. Anything else would be nothing more than suicide.

“No, perhaps I shouldn’t have worded it that way,” Aberon paused, staring at my glare with an amused expression. “It’s rather heroic, actually. But tell me… since you healed that man, aren’t you now out of magic? You couldn’t even heal him all the way.”

“I don’t… need magic to defeat you…” I growled up at him, but it felt different than the time I said it to Eli. While I had meant it with Eli, this time we both knew that this comment was nothing more than a hollow, empty threat.

“You’re an interesting man, Donnelius.” Walking over to the edge of the stage, Aberon swung his legs over the side, sitting down on the edge. “If we were both at full power, it might be a different question. I’d even say you could hold the upper hand in direct combat, but in a sorry state like this…” He smirked at me. “You stand less of a chance against me than a twig facing a tornado. Hence, why you should ‘just give it up’. If you come peacefully, I promise I won’t kill you just yet.”

“How… did you find me?”

Aberon’s eyes widened. “Oh, that was rather simple. While the other bounty hunters tried nothing more than to blindly search the general area, I paid closer attention. When Spiritmaster Karsis returned announcing a failure, I was honestly quite surprised. Karsis is quite a competent man, as you probably know.”

“What’s your point?” Since I had been in Aberon’s presence for a while now, it was easier for me to fight down my fear and gain control of myself. If I regain my bearings, I might be able drag this meaningless conversation out a little more…

“Well, Karsis keeps track of his spirits using these special Spirit Compasses. If activated, they show the exact location of a certain spirit, and unlinks when said spirit dies.” Aberon casually tapped his chin. “Karsis sent two spirits off to dispose of you. But imagine my shock when only one of those compasses unlinked! I stayed around Karsis, waiting and waiting, but the other compass maintained a strong connection. So, I deduced that your soft heart had probably spared one of Karsis’ spirits out of pity.”

I drew a breath. I was starting to gain a basic understanding on what had happened, but I didn’t like where it was going. What is he talking about? He couldn’t mean…

“When I was showing off this plan of mine, Nobelys caught wind of my idea. With his help, I was able to procure Karsis’ Spirit Compass without a hitch.”

“Who the hell is Nobelys?”

“You’re a man of many enemies, Mister Donnelius Conqaide,” Aberon said, raising his eyebrows. “Eli Myrrah. Regalius ‘Oracle’ Karsis. Intrinsa Jaeger. Peony Dollox. And those are only the big-names, so don’t expect to have the luxury of knowing every one of them.”

“You’re telling me that all those celebrity hotshots are on my tail?” Though I had never met the latter two in person, I knew for a fact each and every one of them were incredibly dangerous, and the list probably extended further. In a twisted way, the fact that Aberon had come for me could be seen as a stroke of good luck, since he was so absorbed in his strength. He held such confidence in his own abilities that he didn’t even see me as a threat, which is why I was still able to stall him with conversation. But if those figurehead celebrities came at me with real intent to kill, it would be a totally different story.

“Well, when you first disappeared from the grasps of the Royal Infantry, the bounty hunting profession was abuzz with excitement over this inter-dimensional manhunt.” Aberon nodded his head, as if reminiscing a better time. “Alas, after Eli failed to return, many bounty hunters were discouraged, deeming the task too difficult. After that, apart from a minor scuffle with Karsis’ spirits, the trail on you went cold for over two months. As you know, the masses are only excited by fresh, appealing news, so the public quickly lost interest. Though the five kingdoms have continued to retain the bounty on your head, those ‘hotshots’ you speak of only cared for what the masses were enthusiastic about, so they turned away from the manhunt as well.”

“So? If that’s the case, why the hell are you still here?”

“Because, imagine this! Aberon, the strongest bounty hunter, and the man who successfully resolved the impossible manhunt for Donnelius Conqaide! If I could gain that kind of recognition, why wouldn’t I take the chance?” Spreading both his arms out wide, Aberon grinned deliriously at the sky. “So, armed with Karsis’ Spirit Compass, I came down to this downtrodden mess of a planet, but the task of locating you was more difficult than I imagined. Of course, locating that feeble little fox spirit was a simple task. I assumed that once I found that spirit, you would be close by. But…”

But?

“It turned out that the Spirit Compass would stop tracking the spirit every time the spirit possessed another living thing, be it animal or person. It wouldn’t unlink the compass, but the needle would stop facing in the direction of the spirit. It was so frustrating that I wasn’t able to keep track of the spirit at all times, I was almost disheartened into giving up a few times.” With a sigh, Aberon reached into his pocket, pulling out a circular orb encased in a thin metal covering. A thin needle rested on the top of the orb, but currently sat there unmoving. “To make matters worse, after a certain time, the spirit seemed to notice my presence. I followed that thing everywhere; a myriad of lifeless malls, restaurants, even some ridiculous human festival. But after it realized it was being followed, it possessed animals more and more frequently. You don’t understand just how annoying it was!”

However, my eyes were wide open in surprise, and I was barely listening to Aberon speak anymore. It was true that recently I had noticed Kin was showing himself less and less around Martha and I. But I had assumed that he was just becoming more of a glutton for life force, and that he was trying to find fresh areas to satiate his thirst.

But, don’t tell me… I grabbed my head with my right hand, gritting my teeth. Was that self-centered excuse of a spirit actually doing something like that for us? All by himself?

“But I couldn’t give up! For I knew, that spirit couldn’t just have been released. No matter how far it travelled, that spirit would return to the same general area every time,” Aberon continued passionately, unaware that his words were no longer reaching me. “I knew that every time, it was returning to something, someone. So, I kept on searching.”

But it doesn’t make sense! I could feel a sensation of guilt start to well up inside me, and I feared that once I had to face it, it would be too much for me to handle. And because I knew I wasn’t strong enough to face it, I tried to deny it. There’s no way! If Kin knew about something that important, why wouldn’t he tell –

My breath caught. No, wait. At one point, didn’t Kin say he had something to tell me? I remember now, it was when I was doing the dishes at the Oasis! But, why was it that he decided not to tell me in the end? Question after question spun in my head, and I mentally replayed the scene over and over, trying to piece together a proper answer. My efforts bore fruit, and I awakened another buried memory as a result. That’s right! Didn’t I… didn’t I say something to him right before? Something that made him change his mind? What was it?

“Unfortunately, crafty as spirits tend to be, that trickster fox couldn’t keep it up forever. Finally, after all this time, finally –” A grin was gleefully spread ear to ear across Aberon’s face as he recalled the memory, the perverse expression held in contrast against his dignified features. “This morning, I followed the spirit to yet another human gathering. I merely observed from outside at first, almost calling another fluke, but then just when I was losing hope… you arrived!”

Come on, what did I say? Something about… peace?

“Yes, you, dressed in your fancy new clothes. Even though I easily picked out your shocking blue hair amongst the crowd, the atmosphere surrounding you was so similar to those of the other commoners, I almost couldn’t recognize you as the great mage Donnelius Conqaide! But with a quick Detect spell, my suspicions were confirmed,” Aberon proclaimed, before shaking his head. “You ought to have given that spirit friend of yours a little more credit. Though it didn’t notice my presence, that spirit still made to leave the human gathering the second it saw you arrive. And it almost got away safely! Almost.”

Peace… on this world? That I wanted to – All of a sudden, the exact words that I said pierced into my mind, silencing all my other wayward thoughts.

‘It’s not that I dislike life back there, but I guess savoring the mundane peace here isn’t so bad either’.

As I recalled this final memory, the thin barrier I had constructed in order to protect myself from the guilt crashed down like a broken dam, and the full extent of my remorse washed over my body. He… Kin knew that I would be gone from this world soon, so he risked his life time and time again to deal with the threat on his own, just so I could leave this world with my stupid, fragile illusion of peace still intact. He was trying to protect me, and yet I still… Stiff as a rock, the veins in my eyes throbbed as I glared down at the ground, my fingernails digging into my palm as gripped it in anger at myself. The feelings of guilt and anger clashed chaotically in my mind, so much that I couldn’t see or think anything anymore, only feeling the roiling emotions slamming around the insides of my chest and mind.

Then Aberon spoke once more, and for once, I could hear his words.

“Your friend gave a valiant effort, Donnelius.” With two of his thick fingers, Aberon drew a small transparent vial from within his pockets, and I could only stare up hopelessly. The cylindrical vial was swirling with a fiery orange mist, popping and crackling with the sounds of fading embers. The same moment the vial came into sight, Aberon turned a small dial on the Spirit Compass. The orb encased in metal began to emit a soft pink glow, and it rose into the air, hovering right above his bulky shoulders. Holding the vial up to the compass, I watched as the thin needle above the activated compass clattered against the metal casing, pointing directly at the smoky vial of orange.

“You…” I had already ceased to think, and my body was just moving on its own, as a feeling of dread had already suppressed all rational thinking. My body lurched forward in the slightest, and I raised a desperate hand up to where Aberon clutched the vial in between his meaty fingers, grabbing at air. “Let him go…”

“You want your little friend?” Aberon tossed the vial from one hand to another, jeering down at me. “Why don’t you try and take him from me? I’m sure you’ve still got a little fight left in you.”

As I dragged one leg in front of the other, slowly lumbering over to the raised wooden stage, something nagged the back of my mind. I wasn’t really thinking clearly anymore, and yet I could still sense that something was off. It was so off-putting that I was forced to stop halfway between my original position and the elevated stage, and I stared back up at Aberon with my eyes glazed over.

“You said that you saw me come here. You used a Detect spell to determine who I was.” Even though I was trudging to my death, I still couldn’t help but mumble out those sentences. “Then, why?”

“Why?” Aberon had pushed himself back up from his seated position, and was now looking down on me with his arms crossed. “Why what?”

“If you already knew who I was, why did you get up onto that stage?” The questions spilled out from my mouth, as I stood there with my arms slack at my sides. “Why did you… shoot Connor?”

“Oh.” Looking genuinely surprised, Aberon tilted his head. “I thought that was obvious enough.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Well. Just because, I guess. I do it all the time, so I didn’t think one more life would be much of a difference.” Giving a nonchalant shrug, Aberon’s eyes didn’t hold even the smallest inkling of remorse. “And, as you know, I love talking in front of big crowds.”

“Just… because?” All at once, something snapped inside my mind. Previously, the feeling of shame shackled me down to the ground, holding me in a state of suspended disbelief, but those shackles melted down from around me in an instant. In their place, an unspeakable rage began to spread through my body, starting from my toes all the way up to my chest, then out to my fingers. I thought I was already angry before, but what I was feeling then was absolutely nothing compared to the boiling rush through my body now, like molten steel was being poured through my veins. “You tried to kill an innocent, unarmed person… just because?”

Seeing the fury build up inside me, Aberon guffawed in delight. “That’s it, that’s it! Let’s see you put up a real fight!”

Every second I felt like my rage had reached its peak, but it just kept on mounting and mounting. Memories of Connor’s lifeless eyes, coupled with the sight of Kin’s inert body compressed into that tiny vial, pushed my anger past its limits. The rage seeped into my bloodshot eyes, and I quite literally could only see red, as my vision turned monochromatic. Tendrils of cardinal red energy snaked from my elbows up to my fingertips, until it was like both of my forearms were entirely drenched in blood. Flinging both arms out to my side, thin bolts of crimson lightning crackled spontaneously from every part of my body, searing blackened dots into the ground surrounding me. Howling up at the darkened sky, I finally lost consciousness to the rage, and yet my body kept on moving on its own, speeding up from a sluggish stagger to a full-on sprint right at the wooden podium. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to see!” Spreading both arms wide, Aberon cackled, orbs of glowing purple light appearing above his palms. “Come and dance with me, Donnelius Conqaide!”

Thrusting an arm at me, Aberon let loose an enormous beam of white-purple energy. Bunching a hand into a fist, I slammed a punch into the beam of energy, not bothering to dodge. Letting out a roar, I continued my sprint towards Aberon completed unaffected, my energy-covered fist scattering the beam of light in all directions. As I reached the bottom of the podium, I leapt straight at Aberon, pulling my fist back for a second punch. Scowling, Aberon cut off his beam of energy, before raising his index and middle finger.

“Crystalline Barri –”

Before Aberon even had a chance to finish talking I had already launched my fist towards his gut, and as my punch easily shattered the semi-formed transparent shield in the air and buried itself in his stomach, I felt the wind leave his lungs. The force of the impact slammed Aberon down into the wooden stage, sending it crashing down to the ground. Dazed, Aberon’s eyes were slightly unfocused as he tried to grasp the situation, but I sent a forceful kick aimed towards his neck. Barely able to throw up his arms to block it, I slammed my kick into Aberon’s crossed arms, feeling the wet snap of his bones fracturing. Without even a second to blink, Aberon was tossed from the remains of the wooden stage into the wall of the Oasis.

The concrete was slightly chipped from the force of Aberon hitting the wall. He stumbled to his feet with a hand against the wall, before coughing loudly and raising his other hand. “Absolute Ray –”

But I was already there in front of him, shooting another punch at his open palm. My fist dissipated the weak ball of energy in front of his hand, and as my punch made contact, I felt Aberon’s arm bend and snap the wrong way. As a cracking sound filled the air and he howled in agony, a sort of sadistic elation swelled inside my chest. It’s not enough. More! Suffer more!

Pressing my palm up against his chest, I let loose a crackling bolt of red energy, shooting all the way through Aberon’s body and throwing his body into the metal fence of the Oasis’ back-yard. The metal was dented with the sheer physical energy of the impact, and Aberon lay there with his eyes turned up against the sky, coughing up blood. As I slowly approached where he was collapsed, life returned to Aberon’s eyes, and he frantically dug around in his pockets with his good hand.

“Wait! Wait, I surrender!” Desperately pulling out a glowing pink crystal, Aberon flashed it in front of me. “Look! It’s Manalite! I’m sorry that I –”

Without hesitation, I slammed my fist into the hand grasping the crystal, feeling each of his fingers break, shattering both the crystal and his hand in the process. The energy that was released from the crystal was sucked into me as if my body was a black hole, only fueling the searing energy that was emitting from my body like oil to a fire. Before Aberon was able to speak again, I leapt on top of his caved-in form, brutally releasing punch after punch into his body.

Punch. Something shattered in his chest, maybe his ribcage.

Punch. Punctured his lung.

Punch. Broke his jaw, or maybe his windpipe.

Punch. A splatter of blood splashed onto my cheek, which only added to my bloodlust. Wrapping my hands around his neck, I wrung it up and down, feeling it snap. Even so, I only grabbed on tighter, so that another wave of blood surged from his bloodied lips. Where is it now, Aberon? What happened to that cocky, overconfident expression of yours? Tightening my hands once again, my body wouldn’t stop itself. Though my arms, clothes and face were all soaked with blood, I continued to batter Aberon’s beaten body. What’s wrong, giving out already? Weren’t you going to put up a real fight?

As I finally broke away from the throttle, I lifted my fist up into the air for one more punch. Weren’t we going to dance together?

But as my arm went down, I felt something pull against the fabric of my upraised arm, keeping it from going down all the way. As I turned, a voice rang out from behind me.

“Stop, Donnelius Conqaide!”

Who are you? I froze, my arm held unmoving in the air. As the energy continued to smolder inside me, stray streaks of red lightning sparked off my idle body, and yet the person continued to grab on to my sleeve. Squinting my eyes at the standing figure, I sensed no power emitting from them whatsoever.

Who do you think you are to try and stop me, when you yourself are so weak? Flinging my arm away from the bystander in irritation, I turned back to Aberon’s bloodied remains, and swung my arm down for the second time. Then, I felt the same person’s hand wrap tightly around my wrist this time, trying to pull me arm back with all their strength.

“You, didn’t you hear me?” The person yelled forcefully, before their voice wavered and broke off weakly. “Stop it. He’s already…”

My moderate irritation turned to anger, and I glared at the irrational bystander. Clenching my right hand, it flared up with a sudden burst of red energy, tendrils of lightning sparking outwards from within. If you insist on getting in my way, I’ll take care of you as well.

Even as I pulled my arm back for a punch, the frail little figure behind me held on tight, steeling themselves for the incoming blow. This only served to increase my annoyance, as a vein throbbed in my temple. What right do you have to stand in front of me? You are weak! You have no strength! In the event of a fight, there is no conceivable situation where you win!

So, why are you still here? With a growl, I gazed into the persistently stubborn eyes of the powerless bystander. What possible reason could you have for standing in front of me with those defiant eyes? Why would you throw your life away –

A single cool droplet of water splashed onto my cheek, derailing my train of thought. For a moment my mind was blank, but the first droplet was followed by another, and then another. The wetness of the rain was enough of a surprise that, just for a second, the all-consuming fury seething inside my body simmered down a little. And in that brief window of quietness, I realized that the hand gripping onto my wrist was quivering lightly.

No, it wasn’t just the hand. Turning my eyes to properly look onto the bystander, I could now make out the rough shape of a young woman, and her whole body was trembling. It was then that it dawned on me; this woman was terrified out of her wits, and yet she still stood here to oppose me.

That realization was enough to bring the burning rage in my chest to a gradual halt, and my upraised arm unconsciously fell to my side. With a muted pop, the intense bolts of lightning emitting from my body grew weaker and weaker, before fading out of existence. Alongside every drop of rain, a hole was blown in the intense aura of anger around me, and the fury that was being expended from my body like heat from a fire was slowly replaced with a sense of frigidness from my wet clothes. As the anger slowly left by body bit by bit, so did the dark red sheen around my forearms, fading away until it couldn’t be seen. And then, a gust of wind blew my way, I shuddered from the chill that was spreading across my body. At the same time, I suddenly realized that I was taking ragged breaths out of the air. And just like that, the frenzied madness was gone, and my consciousness finally returned to my body.

“Connor… what…” Blinking hard, I had no recollection of how I got there, but I was crouched above a corpse that was so horribly dismembered that it was barely recognizable as a human body. Feeling the bitter taste of bile swell up into my throat, I quickly turned away from the gruesome scene, before I drew in a sharp breath of air at what I saw behind me.

Martha stood there with her hands cupped around her mouth, the thin streams of tears leaking from her eyes mixing with the vicious rain that was pouring onto us. Struggling to get back to my feet, I tried to stagger over to where she was standing. Where did Aberon go? Why does she look so scared?

“Martha! Just now, what happened…” As I reached out my arm, I saw Martha flinch back a little. That was when I became aware of the truth; she wasn’t afraid of Aberon. She was afraid of me.

Pulling my arm back in shock, I only then became aware of the dried blood all over my hands, which was slowly being turned back into liquid by the rain. Grabbing a fistful of my torn undershirt in alarm, I noticed that it too was fully stained with a dirty red. Then… Turning my head in horror, my eyes strained as I stared at the mutilated body. Was I the one who…?

Unable to accept what I saw before me, I bent down and grabbed hold of my knees, gasping for breath. I have no idea what happened in that time. I had no control over my body. It was just like all those years ago, when Crossbones… Shaking my head, I turned my head desperately up at Martha. I need answers.

“Martha!” I repeated. “Do you know what –”

For the second time, Martha recoiled at the sound of my voice, and a deep dread began to seep into my heart. No… I couldn’t have…

Limping through the thick mud, I whispered in dismay. “Martha… did I try to hurt you? Or, worse…”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Martha looked down and clenched both fists at her sides, but she didn’t respond to my question.

“Martha! Give me an answer!” My body filling with a frantic sense of desperation, my voice grew louder and fiercer. “Did I try to hurt you?”

She didn’t move from her spot, but the tears continued to spill from her tightly closed eyes. Gritting her teeth, she shook her head over and over.

“No… you’re not being truthful.” I felt a painful lump build up in my throat as I continued to shout. “Tell me the truth! I did, didn’t I?”

“No… it wasn’t your fault…” Barely managing to speak through her tears, Martha’s whole body was shaking. “You weren’t yourself…”

I fell back in a bout of breathless apprehension, feeling my heart sink abysmally into the depths of a dark crevasse. “I knew it.”

“Get… get away from her!”

A frightened voice cut through the pouring rain, and both Martha and I turned to the source. There, crouched up against the Oasis’ wall in a near-fetal position, was Markus. His eyes bulged at me with an aghast expression, and he deliriously swung an arm out at me. “I said, get away from Martha, you… monster!”

Ah, that’s right. In an instant, I was calm again. Clutching my forehead, a tiny laugh came spilling out from my lips. Yes, you’re right, Markus. I am a monster. That’s how it always has been. Turning away from Martha, I walked through the howling rain back to Aberon’s crumpled body, but I no longer felt anything when looking at the abhorrent scene. Only a grim sense of acceptance. When I approached where Markus was crouched, he let out a shriek of terror and bolted in the opposite direction. Passing him, I finally arrived at where the body protruded out of the twisted metal fence.

Bending down, I scavenged around the mess of flesh and metal, before finally coming up with the Spirit Compass, it’s metal casing slightly dented and drenched in blood. Turning the dial, I watched with a detached expression as its core brightened with a pinkish light, before shakily rising into the air. The needle flickered and pointed into a certain direction, so I reached over and lifted up what was once Aberon’s arm, before finally emerging with the thin vial of swirling orange mist. Pocketing both the vial and the compass, I made for the metal gate of the back-yard.

“Wait!” Martha’s voice sounded from behind me.

I stopped, but didn’t turn back to face her. “What’s the problem?”

“Where are you going?” Martha had wiped away her tears with her sleeve, but her face was still being continually drenched by the harsh storm, so it made little difference. “T-The clinic is closer to the back. We still need to see how Connor ended up –”

“That’s something I trust you can do alone.”

“Alone?” Her voice was slightly tinged with shock. “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what you think it means.” I continued to trudge through the now-boggy mud towards the gate, sticking my hands into my soiled pockets. “I’m turning myself in to the kingdom’s forces. Leaving this world via them.”

“You’re going to turn yourself in?” Behind me, I heard a series of wet splashes as Martha sped up her pace to catch up to me. “But, what about your necklace? By this point, Chris’ battery should have enough power in it to –”

“Do you think I have any right to decide what happens to me?” Flinging my arms out hopelessly, I gestured at the ruined sight around us. “Just… just look at what I caused! The kingdoms have a point. I need to be locked up, not allowed to roam around freely!”

“Don… don’t you think you’re being a little rash?” Martha’s voice still carried a little bit of hope, like she truly believed that things could still be righted. The damp footsteps approached me, and I tensed myself. “Come on. Just come with me for now, and we can think about all this later.”

“Think about this? What is there to think about?” Planting my feet hard into the soggy ground, I clenched my fists tight. “I’m a danger to everyone around me! Then and now, it’s always been the same! Every time, I end up destroying everything I care about!”

Please, just let me leave before I destroy you as well.

With this, the sounds of the footsteps behind me stopped.

“So, that’s it, then?” Her voice was filled with hurt, which caused an indescribable pain to streak through my heart. But I forced my body to keep moving forward, not to turn back. “Just like this, you’re going to leave everything behind? After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to give up now?”

My fist was clenched so tight that fresh droplets of blood rose from where my nails dug into my flesh, but I kept moving forward. “Yes. That’s exactly right.”

For a brief window of time, all I could hear was the pounding of rain against the ground. As I finally reached the kicked-down metal gate, I heard Martha’s voice flare up for the last time, louder than I had ever heard her.

“Didn’t you swear on your name to protect me? Weren’t you going to stay by my side?” Martha yelled through the howling wind, her voice shaking like it was on the verge of tears. “Does that promise really matter so little to you?”

All this time, I had physically fought my body not to turn backwards, and I had almost succeeded. But, at those words, I couldn’t stop myself. Violently turning back to face her, for the first time in many years, I felt the sting of hot tears streaking down my face.

“How the hell am I supposed to protect you when I’m the one who tried to kill you?”

For a few seconds there were no sounds but that of the crashing storm. Martha and I just faced each other in silence, the stinging raindrops mixing with the tears rolling down each of our faces. Then, as the crushing feeling of misery suppressed all my other emotions, the empty sense of acceptance returned to my body. There you have it.

Leaving Martha sobbing in the heavy downpour, I stepped past the collapsed metal gate of the Oasis. Sticking my hands back into my pockets, I paused for just a fraction of a second to take a final good look at Martha’s face, burning it deep into my memory. At the same time, a different sensation entered my chest. It wasn’t the atrocious anger from before, nor was it the overwhelming feeling of acceptance. It was nothing more than a lingering regret, that I had to end things in this way. I hated the fact that this would be the last memory that Martha would have of me, but I forced myself to believe that it was all for the best. After all, once I was gone, she would be free to return to her normal human life. No magic, no bounty hunters, just a series of peaceful days that would never end. If Martha’s safety meant that I had to abandon her in this way, then so be it.

Even so, the feeling of regret didn’t just fade away. If I had known that my leave from this world would be so sudden, I’d have liked to spend more time with her. Because, even in the current situation, the way I felt about Martha never changed. She was a good person, and someone who I genuinely enjoyed being together with.

“See you, Martha.” Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head once to express my gratitude, though I wasn’t sure if she was still listening, or even still there. After some time had passed, I added one more sentence. “And… thanks for everything.”

Then, turning the corner, I left both her and the Oasis behind me.