Where The Red Thread Ends

Sophia was surrounded by darkness. It was a familiar sensation, but something was different than usual when she awoke in this pitch blackness. Sophia could feel something creeping up behind her. She dared not to turn around, because she feared knowing it, but she was sure that once that thing had her it would never give her free again. Sophia began running forward. She knew that the saving red thread would appear soon. It did not. Sophia ran faster. She could feel the thing behind her gaining speed and catching up. Slowly but steadily. The red thread or even the red glow were still nowhere to be seen. Sophia panicked and burst into a full-on sprint. She ran as fast as she could but still could feel the thing behind gaining on her.

“Where are you?!” Sophia screamed.

Still nothing. The thing behind her was very close already.

“Kieran!” Sophia screamed his name and it echoed through the darkness.

There. A red glow appeared in the corner of her eyes. Sophia turned and ran that way. The thing behind was so close already that she could feel something touching her. Sophia ran like she had never done in her life. She saw the shining portal growing in front. Only a bit of red thread was peeking out of it and it slowly retracted back. Sophia felt the cold from behind, her whole back seemed numb, but she kept moving. There was not much distance left, but the thread was reduced to a tiny stubble. She would not reach it in time. Doubt began to flood her mind. She shook herself free and jumped.

“KIERAN!” Sophia screamed while in the air.

She reached out her hand and touched the very last bit of thread with the tip of her finger.

Sophia found herself in the scene where the last dream of Kieran had ended. But some things were fundamentally different. She wasn’t inside Kieran anymore. Sophia could see him next to her, hovering over the dying body of some mage. She also could move freely and look around. The scene seemed to be currently frozen in time. Sophia felt something in her hand and she looked down. She noticed that she was holding the red string in her hand. The three strands were now braided together. Sophia looked back up and suddenly noticed a small girl standing in front of her. She had green eyes, quite similar to Sophia’s.

“Hello,” the girl said in a serene and warm tone.

Sophia recognized her. It was the girl out of the first dream she shared with Kieran.

“Hello,” Sophia replied. “Who are you? I have seen you before.”

“It does not matter who I am.” The girl said. “Who are you?”

“My name is Sophia.”

“Tell me Sophia. Why did you came here?”

“I don’t know… I ran.”

“You ran? From what?”

“Death, I think”

“You think?”

“I didn’t look.”

“Why not?”

“I was afraid. I just wanted to escape.”

“You wanted to escape death?”

“Yes.”

The small girl began to laugh. Sophia looked confused.

“Did I say something funny?” she asked.

The small girl pointed at Kieran.

“You wanted to escape death and came here? To him? You should know that here is only death. He is the Mage Murderer after all.” She said, still chuckling to herself.

“He is not a murderer!” Sophia disagreed.

“Then why are you always calling him by that name… Mage Murderer…”

“I don’t know…”

“You really don’t know or are you just telling yourself that?”

Sophia thought for a moment.

“Because I’m afraid,” she admitted.

“Of what?” the small girl asked.

“Of myself.”

“And you’re not afraid of him?”

“No…”

“Why not? He is a Murderer.”

“I don’t believe that he is a Murderer.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

The small girl came a bit closer to her and looked very curious.

“Because I think he is being used. Controlled and ordered by someone to carry out those killings,” Sophia explained

“You think he is innocent?” the small girl asked.

“Yes.”

“Look at him. He has blood on his hands. The blood of the one that he just killed. Do you really believe he is innocent?

Sophia looked at Kieran. His hands were indeed full of blood.

“A tool is not responsible for what it is used for…” she said and a tear came out of her eye.

“So, he is a tool?” the small girl asked

“I don’t want him to one anymore.”

“Who do you think is using him?”

Sophia turned towards the door and pointed at it.

“The one standing behind that door.”

The small girl smiled and stepped next to Sophia.

“Take my hand,” she said. “I want to show you something.”

“What?” Sophia asked.

“The truth… and I am interested to see if you think the same about him after you know.”

Sophia grabbed the small girl’s hand with her free hand, the other still had the red thread in hand. The scene suddenly started playing and the door was opened. In came the woman called Nora, the one with the golden curly hair and the deep blue eyes. Behind her six people in robes rushed inside.

“Surrender yourself Mage Murderer, you are under arrest!” Nora shouted.

Kieran looked at her confused but then threw away his sword and knelt in front of her.

“Look close at her hand,” the small girl next to her said suddenly. “Do you see it?”

Sophia looked close at Nora’s hand, and she noticed a nearly invisible chain coming from her hand and ending at Kieran’s chest.

“Yes, I see it,” Sophia responded.

The scenery changed and Kieran was inside a cell. It looked just like the one where she had met him in prison. He was chained like back then as well. Nora was always in the cell with him.

“It was the only way, Kieran.” Nora said softly. “It was either you or both of us…”

“I understand… I’ll gladly sacrifice myself for you, Nora.” Kieran replied.

“Why?”

“Because I love you… I always will.”

“That makes me so happy to hear. I promise I will do everything I can to free you again of this cell.”

“I know you will.”

“She won’t!” Sophia screamed.

Nora and Kieran did not seem to hear her.

“Why do you think that?” the small girl asked.

“Because that bitch can’t even remember not to use mushrooms!” Sophia exclaimed, agitated.

“Mushrooms?”

“In the stew! Kieran doesn’t like them!”

The small girl began to chuckle.

“Interesting… Mushrooms, huh…” she said,” come there is more.”

The scene changed slightly. Nora was gone but another Woman was inside the cell. She placed her hand on top of the mark on Kieran’s chest and said something. Sophia recognized the spell ritual that she had used as well to bind Kieran to her. A chain formed between his chest and her hand. Then the two left the cell together and the scene changed. Kieran and the woman were in the big entrance hall with the wide marble stairway in the middle. She was lying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood and Kieran stood above her, his sword and hands full of blood.

Then the scene changed back to the cell, but a different mage was now performing the ritual. It was a man this time. The rest was the same. It ended inside the big entrance hall with the mage lying dead on the floor and Kieran above, full of blood. Then came the next mage and after them another one. It went on and one. Always the same pattern. The mage forms a bond with Kieran and then gets killed by him. After a while Sophia noticed something. In the cell she could see a nearly invisible image of Nora standing behind Kieran, with a chain from her hand coiling around the whole of his body.

“Do you see it?” the young girl asked.

“Yes, I do.” Sophia answered. “How long is this gonna go on?”

“Patience, we’re getting to the real interesting part in a moment.”

The next scene indeed proved to be interesting. They were in the cell again and the mage, a man, was strangely familiar to Sophia. Her eyes widend as she recognized him. It was someone she only really knew from portraits and from stories.

“Who is that person, currently forming a bond with Kieran?” the small girl asked.

“It’s… my father…” Sophia responded slowly.

“Do you want to see how it ends?”

“I can imagine… but yes, I do…”

“Alright.”

The scene switched to the big entrance hall. Sophia knew what she would see, but she still had to close her eyes, and a tear ran down her cheek.

“Look, he killed your father, didn’t he?” the small girl said in her serene voice.

Sophia looked at it again. Kieran was standing over her father, sword buried in his chest.

“He was used to kill my father,” Sophia said intently.

“You really believe that?” the small girl asked.

“Yes.”

“Does it really matter?”

“It matters to me.”

“Interesting… Do you know who’s next?”

“It’s me… right?”

“Let’s see…”

It was indeed Sophia. She saw herself perform the ritual and leave with Kieran. Then they were in the big entrance hall. Kieran was slowly pushing down his sword through her chest. The stabbed Sophia then leaned upwards and kissed Kieran on the lips. The scene paused at that exact moment.

“Did you have to pause it right there…” Sophia said, getting slightly flustered.

“Why did you do that?” The little girl asked.

“I don’t know… it felt right in the moment…”

“Why do you think it felt right to you?”

“I don’t know…”

“What is he to you?”

Sophia took a deep breath.

“He’s the man that I’ve fallen in love with,” she finally admitted.

“Even after finding out that he was used to kill your father?” the young girl asked.

“Yes.”

“Even after he killed you?”

“He didn’t kill me. I’m still here!”

The small girl looked at Sophia with a puzzled look.

“Why should that mean you’re still alive? I’m dead and still here… am I not?” she asked.

“You are… does that mean I’m dead as well?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what choice you make next.”

The scenery changed again and they were back in the cell. This time it was Nora back in the cell, she was holding a clearly visible and thick chain that wrapped around Kieran’s whole body.

“Make your choice.” The small girl next to her said.

“What choice?” Sophia asked.

“What do you want to do.”

Sophia looked at Kieran.

“Free him from those chains,” she said.

“And wrap him up in your own?” The young girl replied.

“No!”

“Then do it.”

“How?”

“Oh, you know how.”

Sophia looked down at her hand. The red braided thread was still in her hand. She followed where I lead with her eyes. It led directly into Kieran’s heart, where also the chain was. Sophia then looked at Nora who was staring back at her sneeringly.

“I see… I wanted to do this for a long time now” she mumbled and sprinted towards her.

Sophia jumped up before she reached Nora and kneed her full-on into the face. The two women went down and started punching each other. It did not take long and the kicking, screaming, hair pulling and biting began as well. Nora tried to wrap the chain around Sophia’s neck, trying to suffocate her. Sophia somehow managed to get back on top and started pummeling the face until it looked more like she was used to with the distortions.

“You fucking bitch don’t deserve him! You are just using him! Like a tool. No man deserves that! You are the Murderer, not him! Not Kieran!” Sophia yelled and continued punching.

“He is mine!” Nora screamed and bucked up.

“No, he does not! He is not a thing that you can own!”

Sophia relentlessly pummeled into Nora, who got weaker and weaker. Then after a lot of more punching and face smushing, the chain suddenly slipped out of her hand and exploded into thousand pieces. Nora vanished from under Sophia, who stood up slowly. The red thread was still in her hand. She looked at Kieran who was kneeling in the middle of the room. The chain around him was completely gone. Sophia went up to him. He wasn’t moving. The red braided thread from her hand was still connected to his heart. The small girl was suddenly looking at her from the side.

“What do I do now?” Sophia asked.

“Whatever feels right to you…” The small girl replied.

Sophia looked at the thread again then at Kieran. She raised her hand and pushed the braid onto her chest, where her heart was. It began to glow and the thread got pulled into her body. They were now connected heart to heart. Sophia felt warmth coming from the connection.

“Thank you…” the small girl said.

Sophia suddenly had the feeling of falling and was blinded by lights.