ã€ŠIntentions of a Dark Mageã€‹


 1 - Liar

    Being hated sucks.

    It''s like no matter what you do to appease others, it always comes back to bite you. The awful little rain cloud that chases away the sun. The scribbles on your canvas in a thick, permanent marker. A big ''screw you'' from the world.

    What''s worse? Accepting that there''s really no one out there who''ll ever truly be on your side. To lose trust in everyone else. Because instead, you know deep inside that in the world, they''re ready to kick you to the dirt, spit on you and make sure you never live without watching your back.

    I unfurled my back, wincing as I stretched my limbs. They really did a number on me this time. It¡¯s going to be hard to find any skin on my back that isn¡¯t bruised tomorrow.

    With shaking legs, I rose to my feet, bracing the tree. My bags and notes were scattered everywhere - most of them were definitely lost by now - and my phone was (thankfully) still in my pocket, albeit a little cracked.

    I pressed the on button and sure enough, the screen lit up.

    Good enough.

    One by one, I painstakingly gathered each sheet (except for a few that had fallen into the little stream and were beyond saving) and stuffed them into my now badly damaged bag.

    I was going to have to stitch that back up when I got home. There was so much stuff that I had to replace or fix.

    My pocket buzzed.

    Dad.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I asked into the phone nonchalantly.

    ¡°Hi Angelica!¡± I grimaced.

    ¡°I¡¯m not Angelica.¡± I folded one of my arms and clenched my teeth.

    ¡°Oh, sorry Ember. Think I dialled the wrong number.¡±

    Of course. As expected.

    I ran my free hand through my hair, thoroughly annoyed with the situation already. And he only just said hi!

    ¡°Anyway, while I¡¯ve got you on the phone, can you buy some more chalk and a couple of groceries for the sides today?¡± He commanded. I could hear the banging of the spoon against the iron pots in the background.

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll send you the list.¡± The phone disconnected.

    I growled.

    I didn¡¯t have a single penny on me, and my card was at home. He didn¡¯t even have the decency to ask if I had enough, or how I was doing, or even if I was okay. Great.

    My heart burned.

    I phoned back angrily, and took a few deep breaths.

    ¡°Hello? Ember?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any cash on me. Card¡¯s at home too.¡± I gritted my teeth, roughly running my hand through my hair.

    He cursed, ¡°Next time, take some. I¡¯ll get them for now - It¡¯ll be quicker for me to go and grab them. Just head on home.¡±

    Disconnected again. Not even a goodbye, or asking if I want to be picked up. Rude.

    I clenched my phone. I screamed, loud and clear into the air. The birds that hid silently in the trees now fluttered away, squawking and shrieking.

    The winds and the susurration of the amber and yellow leaves alone were even more deafening to hear.

    Maybe if I try explaining to him again, he¡¯ll come around.

    Maybe if I ask for help, he¡¯ll stay by my side.

    I looked down at my shoes and clenched my hand harder. Another crack formed on my phone.

    I was so utterly stupid. No one is worth trusting in that house. Not even myself, and my traitorous heart.

    With a huge swing, I slung my bag over my shoulders and headed home.

    I could hear the banging of the pots and the rushing of the water from the taps when I opened the front door. Dad was probably running around hectically from place to place, trying to make sure that the food didn''t burn like he did last week.

    Just as I was about to enter the living room, I caught my face in the mirror - blood trickled and dried from some spot on my head. Not good.

    Sneakily, I used the back of my black sleeve to try and wipe away some of the blood off my forehead, but I couldn¡¯t do much else with the dried up dirt on my cheek.

    ¡°Did you get in another fight, Ember? That makes the third one this month.¡±

    I jumped, spinning around to see Dad behind me, carrying the groceries.

    ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re gonna give me a heart attack-¡±

    He dropped the bags to the floor and yanked my wrist away from my face, snapping my chin up with his other hand to roll my head from side to side like a ragdoll.

    I pushed him away when I could feel his nails dig further into my cheeks.

    ¡°Ouch! It hurts enough already. Be a little more gentle, would you?¡± I pouted, rubbing my cheek.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point, when you take no regard for your own safety?¡± He snapped angrily. So this was how he was going to be today.

    I was in for a verbal lashing.

    Was it so hard to ask for just one gentle response from him?

    He stepped closer, but I shuffled further away.

    Tears pricked my eyes and I cradled my arm. ¡°I told you, I never started any of those. I just wanted to be left alone.¡± I started, pushing down the wobbling in my throat, but he shoved me back against the wall and pinned me against it.

    ¡°Ember, just please stop fooling yourself.¡± He clutched my shoulders with both of his arms, shaking me, ¡°You¡¯re going to end up dead in a ditch, six feet under or sleeping with the fishes! You¡¯re not helping anyone at all. Not even yourself.¡±

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    I clenched my teeth and glared right back at him.

    ¡°So what, I¡¯m supposed to let them beat me? I would have had it worse if I didn¡¯t fight back, Dad.¡± I pushed forward, but he slammed me back into the wall, hitting my head a little too hard.

    From the corner of my eye I saw Mum creeping out silently from the kitchen. Dad noticed too, but he kept on going.

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to stay out of trouble! Is that so hard?¡±

    ¡°When other people are intent on making trouble for you? Absolutely!¡± I exclaimed, like it was obvious, and it really was.

    Dad sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand where we went wrong in raising you. How did you turn out to be such a-¡±

    I snapped.

    ¡°Keep on going, keep on saying how I¡¯m a misguided individual again! A good-for-nothing. Are you idiotic?¡± I seethed. ¡°You just aren¡¯t listening to me! Can you only hear the sound of your own voice? Wait, no because you hang on to every word Angelica speaks because she¡¯s the gospel!¡± I banged my fist against the wall behind me desperately. ¡°Despite the numerous times that I¡¯ve told you, you never even stopped to consider the fact that she isn¡¯t your little-miss-perfect! She¡¯s nothing but a fraud-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough Ember.¡± He roared. ¡°What do you have against Angelica? Because she has better grades? Because she¡¯s got her magic and you haven¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s stringing everyone along with a lie, and all of you are foolish enough to fall for everything she says.¡± I grabbed his shoulder and twisted his arm away roughly without hurting him.

    He looked pained, angrier.

    I silenced myself.

    What was I doing?

    I let go of his wrist and held the fabric of his sleeve gently.

    ¡°I want help, Dad. This is the last time I¡¯m asking you. I¡¯m being continuously hurt by people I barely talk to, and I want to be free from- from this cycle,¡± I stuttered quietly into his ears. ¡°Please, if you just consider what I¡¯m saying to be true, just once. Would you save me?¡± I peered into his eyes, searching for an answer, any positive emotion that meant he still cared about me like he did before.

    But no. Anger clouded his green eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve honestly tried to believe you, Ember. There¡¯s just too much against you this time.¡±

    I shuttered my eyes shut, just as the last vestiges of my hope snapped and disappeared into nothingness.

    I strolled to the stairs and gripped the bannister. I threw my head over my shoulder to glance at him and Mum.

    ¡°You were right, Dad.¡± I said sweetly with a sad smile. ¡°No one in this world is worth trusting.¡±

    I stormed up the stairs. At the top, Angelica leaned against my closed bedroom door.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re pleased with yourself, you two-faced bimbo.¡± I snapped.

    ¡°Well, yes actually.¡± She smiled a Cheshire cat grin, her blue eyes shining brightly. ¡°Just one step closer to being the only child they¡¯ll look towards-¡±

    I shut the door in her face.

    I didn¡¯t want to listen to another one of her inferiority-complex monologues.

    I tossed my bag onto the chair and grabbed some more clothing from my drawers, picking the softest fabrics I had.

    Wincing, I undressed myself in the bathroom, observing the bruises I had. It was a disgusting collage of black and blue - proof that I was just as weak and useless as Angelica said, as Mum and Dad said.

    My face was better looking than my back. Nothing but a small cut at the top of my forehead, which could be easily hidden by my unruly auburn curls - a shared trait from my dad.

    Tired, green eyes stared back at me. How much further would I sink?

    Gently, I washed the blood and dirt from my body, being careful not to aggravate my wounds further. I added a plaster to my forehead, and one to my finger where I had managed to cut it open on a rock of some sorts when I tripped.

    There.

    I still looked awful.

    I swore to myself that this was the last time I would get hurt this badly. I was tired of being the underdog.

    I¡¯ll be independent and stronger tomorrow, no matter what.

    Someone smacked the door hard. ¡°Ember, it¡¯s time for dinner, and we have something to say to you.¡± Mum shouted, before rushing off again.

    Nothing good, for sure.

    Speedily, I dressed myself and headed downstairs for a certainly eventful dinner tonight.

    Everyone had already started eating, leaving out a bowl of stew for me and some side salads and breads.

    I took my place.

    I sighed and took a spoonful.

    ¡°Daddy, have you seen the progress I¡¯ve made with Mummy today? I think I might be able to do my first spell tomorrow!¡± Angelica laughed pleasantly, giving me the side-eye.

    ¡°Really? I might have to sit with you guys and watch. Maybe your training with me will start sooner than I thought.¡± He mused.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± She squealed excitedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of my daughter!¡± Nicole clapped her hands.

    The food became much harder to swallow.

    I took another spoonful in silence.

    ¡°Ember, aren¡¯t you happy for me?¡±

    All eyes turned on me. I coughed awkwardly, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy for you, you¡¯re finally going to have something good to say about yourself.¡±

    A blood vessel became much more defined on Angelica¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ember!¡± Mum gasped, appalled.

    ¡°What? I thought you wanted me to be truthful?¡± I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes.

    Dad gave me a disgusted look. ¡°If you have nothing nice to say, then don¡¯t say anything at all.¡±

    I muttered a ¡°sure¡± before going back to my meal.

    We continued onwards in silence, until Dad coughed awkwardly.

    ¡°Ember, your mother and I have decided on something, and we want you to listen.¡± He spoke soundly. I could see him debate with himself until Mum finally nudged him and gave him a look.

    ¡°We don¡¯t think you¡¯re safe to stay here anymore. You should move out next year for university. We don¡¯t have much safety to offer you here from whoever wants to hurt you, and we think moving out of town would help you out a lot.¡±

    I froze. Stew dripped down from my spoon into the bowl.

    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, shocked.

    From the corner of my eye, I could see Angelica sip her water smugly. I wasn¡¯t going to give her the satisfaction.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you!¡± I leapt to the other side of the table and hugged Dad tightly. ¡°I¡¯d already saved up enough to put me through the first year of accommodations, but finally hearing your approval is really great to hear.¡± I finally let him go, and gave him my biggest grin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best at university!¡± I saluted.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help pay for some of the accommodations and fees to help you get by there, but if you need some more, don¡¯t hesitate to let me know.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Dad,¡± I smiled, a genuine one this time.

    My smile dropped when I saw Mum frown. ¡°But what about the money needed to train Angelica? The materials we use aren¡¯t exactly cheap here.¡±

    ¡°Why not get some from the other side? It¡¯s cheaper there.¡± Dad pointed out.

    ¡°And what about Angelica¡¯s university? We don¡¯t have much money to give to her either-¡±

    ¡°Just admit it Mum, you just don¡¯t want to spend money on me,¡± My eyes darkened and I looked back at Dad, pained. ¡°I understand. Thanks for your offer, Dad, but I have my own ways of making money. I don¡¯t need your help.¡± I looked down at my bowl and took another sip.

    Dad made a noise of disagreement, but before he could protest, Angelica sighed and clattered the spoon into her empty bowl.

    ¡°Mum, can we do some more practice before bed?¡± Angelica asked.

    ¡°Sure, Ember put these bowls away.¡±

    Dad debated with himself for a few seconds, before finally speaking out, ¡°Mine too, I want to be there when you finally light that candle.¡± Dad leapt to his feet sprinting behind Angelica and Mum, and following them into the basement.

    Angelica returned and strolled to her side of the table. She snatched her phone off the table, smirking. Her slimy lips were brought next to my ears.

    ¡°Sorry, Ember. It¡¯s not my fault that you¡¯re incapable of magic. They¡¯d love you if you just had even a smidgeon of it. It¡¯s simply fate.¡± She concluded, stroking my cheek mockingly.

    I gripped her wrist hard.

    No one was going to speak to me like that.

    ¡°Angelica. You¡¯re the one I feel sorry for. Imagine how long you have to keep this facade for.¡± I smiled back, bringing my own lips to her ears, as she had done to me. ¡°And when it falls, you¡¯ll never get what you desired most.¡±

    Her smile dropped. ¡°You¡¯ll lose everything you hold dear to me, Ember. And you¡¯ll destroy it all with your own hands! Look forward to it, you dud.¡± She hissed, before spinning on her heels.

    She stormed off, her eyebrows twitching in anger.

    I sat at the table alone, along with the 3 empty bowls, and my own, still half full. My smile dropped along with the tears that my eyes kept a hold of for so long. My heart twisted into knots, and all of the tension in my limbs finally released.

    I clutched my face and sobbed in silence, with no one to wipe my tears.

 2 - One More Time

    I¡¯d already packed my winter clothes away into the spare cardboard boxes we had lying around. It would just make it faster for me to leave when they inevitably kicked me out before university began.

    The room that I had once decorated had become barren. The mosaic of sketches, writing and sticky notes that I once plastered all over the walls were all now discarded, thrown away into the bin - they weren¡¯t necessary to take along with me, after all.

    My little purple plum tree that had recently sprouted in the garden this spring was now resting neatly in a medium sized pot on the floor, drooping sadly. I spent a lot of work stealing the clippings from the park to start growing it, and I certainly wasn¡¯t going to do it again from scratch.

    Seeing the change made my heart sink deeper and deeper.

    My home was disappearing.

    My place here in this family was no longer here.

    No one in this damn house wants me.

    I couldn¡¯t bear the sight. I turned away to look outside for anything different to distract me from the ache in my chest.

    Separated by the glass of the window, Angelica waved her hands in the air like an energetic four year old near the outer edge of the forest, next to the house. The leaves on the floor floated and spun like sycamore falling from the tree - she was manipulating the winds and twirling the leaves like puppet-dancers at a ball.

    To the side, Mum and Dad hugged each other, cheering loudly and joyfully. They wore excited faces as they swooped in to shower Angelica with feather kisses for a job well done.

    I clenched my fists.

    Despite all of this, I knew there was a positive - I could finally find my own path when I leave and be free from this torment - be who I wanted to be and all that nonsense.

    But why does it still hurt so much? Why do I still yearn to be by their side, when they have discarded me with such cruelty?

    It was stupid.

    But it was a feeling that time would certainly heal.

    I taped up the boxes and pushed them to the corner of the room.

    Take a breath and let it out. Calm.

    I unclenched my fists and shook some of the tension out of my body.

    I¡¯d already resolved to find my own way through life - without them. I just need to do it. It was no use pining after something that would not come.

    My shuffling echoed throughout the mostly vacant room, and suddenly the walls felt like they were closing in on me. My heart shook. I needed out.

    I ran downstairs and flung open the door.

    The cool wind ruffled my open hair and cupped my face, pulling away the angry heat and sadness that had stifled me earlier, but my heart still pounded anxiously.

    I closed my eyes, taking in the amber glow of the afternoon sun and feeling it seep into my skin.

    If there was anything I was going to cherish in this place, it was going to be the forest.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Caught off balance, I caught my heel on the edge of the step and tilted backwards, but a strong arm caught me before I could crack my head open on the wood.

    ¡°Got you.¡± Dad called out. He pulled me back up to my feet and held my shoulders to make sure I was steady.

    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± I shrugged his arms off me gently.

    ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±

    I sighed and turned around slowly.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss going through the woods. And my room.¡± I sighed solemnly. ¡°After making my space my own, I have to abandon it all and make it again elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Are you taking everything with you?¡± Dad asked, furrowing his brow.

    ¡°Nope - I¡¯ve already put everything on my walls in the bin. Taking those with me would be a bit of a hassle, and you can use that room for whatever you want, I guess,¡± Sadness crept into my voice, before I spoke with a little mirth. ¡°I am taking that tree though.¡±

    Dad opened his mouth, before shutting it again. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask.¡± He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. ¡°Why would you throw them away? Are you not coming back?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, are you going to let me back in during the holidays? Or after I finish university?¡± I pointed at his chest.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯d let you back in - you¡¯re my daughter. You can visit whenever you want.¡± He spoke sternly.

    Wrapping my hands around my body, I laughed bitterly, ¡°You say that now, but wait until you hear what Mum has to say - I¡¯m not stupid, I know who pushed it.¡± I pushed my hair out of my face to give him a sad smile.

    Dad opened his mouth, closed it again. ¡°This is something I will fight her over and-¡± He grumbled.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡±

    His face morphed into confusion.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already picked who you wanted, Dad. Like I said before, there¡¯s no one in this world worth trusting.¡± I got into his face and bared my teeth. ¡°Not. Even. You.¡±

    I took a few steps back and turned away, ¡°You can do as you please - strike Angelica dead for all I care. I¡¯m done playing the facade of being a happy family member, or an integrated part of the mage community - no one fucking wants me here.¡± I spat the last part out.

    ¡°Stop being stupid! the only reason this is happening is because you¡¯re bringing it on yourself.¡± Dad exclaimed, as if it was obvious.

    He¡¯ll never see the fucking truth.

    I opened my mouth to retort, just as the wind tugged my hair lightly. I took a deep breath and let it out. Just leave him be, in his own little world.

    ¡°I told you, I gave up arguing with you, Dad - it¡¯s just not worth it anymore. You can think as you like.¡± I stated monotonously, standing back. ¡°If you ever wake up from this illusion, good for you.¡±

    His mouth drew a thin line, but I didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°But I¡¯m done with these stupid games.¡±

    I stuffed my hands into my pockets and strolled into the woods, ignoring Angelica¡¯s side eye and not looking back once.

    It wasn¡¯t a lie - I really was going to miss the woods. It was my favourite place to go to relax and take a break.

    I used to go outside often with Dad. We¡¯d run through the woods from dawn to dusk during the holidays, fishing from the little streams that were littered all over the area and coming home with nothing but mud on our clothes and the huge grins on our faces. We used to be inseparable, before Angelica was old enough to come into the picture.

    Once, I¡¯d gotten separated from Dad for hours in there, and both Mum and Dad had to cast spells on spells to find me again. Eventually they found me near one of the buildings with my knees scraped and tears streaming down my face. I can still remember his grief-struck face as he hugged my trembling body and ran his hands through my hair comfortingly. We both sobbed tremendously, and ended up sleeping in each other''s arms until we both assured ourselves that we were still there. I loved those times.

    And now, after the addition of Angelica, we stood face to face baring our teeth like rabid dogs fighting for territory.

    Our interactions in the forest turned to nil, and our arguments and screaming matches only grew.

    Angelica has taken a lot from me, but no more, because I don¡¯t have anything left to give her.

    I shook my head free of these thoughts, and looked forward.

    I had been walking off the path for a solid fifteen minutes and every minute was worth it.

    Just up ahead was an old structure that had been there for at least seven-hundred years, from what Dad knew.

    Protected by ancient magic and wards, the structure was a large concrete building at least three storeys tall, though there was only one floor inside. The outside was completely covered in wisteria and other wall shrubs, even covering some of the windows that I knew were there from the inside. Despite the changing seasons, they always stayed fresh and green, making the building appear ravaged by nature.

    He always told me to stay away, but the tranquillity was something that kept me coming back.

    I opened the door and entered.

    The inside was definitely better kept - the halls were neat and tidy. No dust or cobwebs in sight, but the interior was starting to appear gloomy from the lack of natural light from outside - courtesy of the plants. The interior was a bit similar to a church, except for the absence of benches and a statue.

    Despite the spaciousness, Mum and Dad rarely used this building - something about how the magic gave Mum and Dad an unwelcome feeling, but I had no such problems - I was still effectively immune to such magic and considered a regular person, as I had not yet awakened mine. Maybe I never would.

    There were descendants of mages out there that never did unlock their magic, despite having the potential. They could live for more than a hundred years, but not use an ounce of it.

    Mum was from a prestigious bloodline back before the world was split into two - from participants of a great and terrible war that shook the world tremendously. And ever since then, not once had someone like me been born into her family.

    It was an incredible disappointment to her.

    I sat on the floor and crossed my legs, watching the sunlight stream in through the gaps of the plants, and illuminating the many particles of dust held stationary in the air. Larger particles steadily floated to the ground, swirling with every breath I took in and out. Some of the sunlight hit my cheeks, and I basked in its gentle warmth.

    Slowly, I arced my hands in the air, watching it all swirl and spin, much like how Angelica pulled at the leaves.

    It wasn¡¯t the same, but at least I wasn¡¯t completely helpless - I¡¯d just have to do what I can do with my own hands and feet.

    I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees and dropping my head into my lap.

    I always ran to this place when I was getting chased by whoever Angelica set on me. It was the most peaceful place for me to be alone, undisturbed.

    If there was anything at all that I was going to miss, it was this serenity that you can only find in this kind of wild, unknown nature, in places completely abandoned by humanity.

    A little rain cloud settled over my chest, and I rubbed at it absentmindedly.

    There is nothing else left for me here. Suck it up, and move on.

    Determined to stop sulking, I shot up to my feet and ran my fingers over the cool slabs that made up the outer walls.

    Time to concentrate on something else. Anything else but this.

    The concrete had been treated and polished until it was as smooth as marble, only shadowed by a couple of scratches, chips and chunks taken out of it, as if someone took a chisel and a hammer to it.

    Now that I noticed it, it appeared to be all over the place, and even higher up towards the top and even on the ceiling.

    Strange - how did those ones get up there?

    I traced some of the grooves - whoever made this etched these ones into the wall with one fluid, hard stroke.

    Even I couldn¡¯t have broken it with a freaking hammer.

    It had to have been done using magic. Or sheer, inhuman strength.

    Bored, I traced another one to feel the rough texture and I accidentally sliced my forefinger open (not again) on one of the sharp edges of concrete.

    Ouch!

    Blood slowly trickled down my hand, and dripped slowly onto the floor. I quickly stuck it in my mouth and sucked it up.

    I did a double take, when the floor absorbed the blood.

    What?

    The floor beneath my feet began to glow, the lights swirling in circles, patterns that transformed into a magic circle - used for complicated spells.

    Light turning into a magic circle? This must have been an old, complicated magic that no one messed around with anymore, and blood appeared to be the trigger.

    I was fucked.

    My feet sank into the ground, and I couldn¡¯t lift either leg no matter how hard I tried. I shook with fear, and shrieked when my fingernails couldn¡¯t find any purchase on the floor.

    My head and eyes no longer saw any light.

    Darkness.

 3 - A Little Fishy

    I woke up with my back on¡­ grass? It was as if I had been teleported elsewhere.

    But who could have built something like this?

    I was in a gargantuan geodesic dome that could fit at least fifty football pitches - there was no way I was going to reach the edge of it anytime soon. Though it was mostly spherical, the glass making up the sphere was created from large diamond shapes of different lengths and sizes, creating a sort of appearance, as if the glass was cracked from the very top, and its fractures spread throughout the dome to the base. All of it was framed by clean, white bars, like a greenhouse. The land was completely vast, lightly decorated by a few trees here and there. Nothing supporting the centre of the dome though - how on earth was this still standing?

    Beyond the barrier, the skies were azure; clouds equally misty and light looking, much like the skies we have at home, but what gave it away that we might have been in a different realm, was that there were fishes swimming in the fucking air. And a whole stream gushing forth to boot.

    At the top of the dome was a hole that let in a portion of the heavy rush of water, which fell to a large pond at the centre of the dome, not far from where I stood. A little fish from above decided to fall and join the rest at the bottom, swimming happily and mingling with the others.

    And despite the fact that this place was isolated from the outside world, a gentle breeze tickled the back of my neck, and the scent of pollen, water and sandalwood wafted through the atmosphere soothingly.

    This mini-utopia had the same sort of serenity as the abandoned building back home - peaceful and seemingly everlasting.

    All I¡¯d ever known was the bustling, deathless hustle of daily life, only caressed by a feather of joyful moments from long ago that were now tainted with ink.

    Mum and Dad told me that this realm was dangerous - all that humans could access was the lower layers of the world, all dyed black by the shadows of the other floating land formations above.

    I didn¡¯t know that the other side had places like this - tranquil and bright, like the surface of a sea that forms a mirror of the sky at dawn.

    Yet, it was fragile like tissue paper - there was no way that this kind of place would be sustainable. Someone was bound to ruin it later, especially with all of the horrible people out there in the world - humanity was selfish, prideful and greedy. It was in our nature, and a place like this wouldn¡¯t last for long in our clutches.

    I hoped that other people would never find out about this place.

    I spun around, looking for any other sort of formation. Although there were a few fruit-bearing trees littered around, there was nothing of interest out there that was actually within walking distance - it would be better to see the body of water first, since it was closest.

    I approached the water carefully. What appeared to be a pond turned out to be more like a medium sized lake, contained by a wall of mismatched rocks of different minerals, shapes and sizes - all cemented together with hard-packed sediment. On the surface were a few pink and white lilies and vibrant green lily pads. Some reeds extended from below the surface, and the water itself was transparent and clean as if someone went and triple filtered it.

    A little orange fish that somewhat resembled a carp (did they even have carps on this side?) bobbed its head in greeting. I dipped my fingers into the water, watching it ripple. It headbutted my hand and swam closer to the edge, towards me.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cute?¡± I cooed, tickling its underbelly with my forefinger.

    It was no larger than my hand, and it was very, very expressive. The fish swam back and forth, encircling my fingers and prodding at me again and again.

    I tilted my head when it began to nibble on the end of my finger and began to pull my hand towards the water a little.

    ¡°What, you want me to come in? Sorry but I just bought these jeans, they look fucking chic,¡±

    The fish dipped, before jumping out of the fucking water, launching itself at me.

    I screamed as it began to slap me silly with its tail and tiny little flippers.

    Gravity hit, and it fell to the floor with a sad little plop.

    Panicked, I quickly scooped up the little guy and tossed him back into the water.

    Within seconds, the little shit tried to jump back out again.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll get in the fucking water. Happy? I must be nuts for arguing with a fish,¡± I muttered out the last part.

    It nodded.

    A fish. Nodded. Do fishes even have necks?

    It leapt into the air and back into the water on its side, splashing me in the face.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The audacity!

    Grumbling, I parked my butt on the edge of the wall and swung my feet over into the water, grimacing at the feeling of cold, sopping wet jeans clenching your calves.

    Gross.

    With a nudge, I completely submerged myself into the lake, and the bastard swam in between my fingers and nudged me deeper.

    There wasn¡¯t anything else on the surface that I could reach by the end of the week anyway - might as well go in further and investigate. I could always come back up later.

    I took a deep breath and dove in.

    The lake was deeper than it appeared from the top - it was something you could dive into from an eighty-nine feet diving board and never hit the bottom. It was full of more fish, octopi, fluorescent sting rays - a whole aquarium of aquatic creatures, jam packed with other sorts of flora that definitely didn¡¯t exist back home.

    The underwater glowing mushrooms were definitely psychedelic.

    I sneaked one into my pocket.

    And all the while, the little fish continued its dive deeper, and deeper and gently guided along.

    But I was not a fish - at some point my lungs began to burn for air and just before I gave up on going deeper, it dove ninety degrees to the right into some sort of hole in the wall.

    I was running out of time to think. Bubbles escaped from my lips, and my lungs tried harder and harder to fill itself. I followed it in, desperately flailing my arms continuously.

    Light shone from above, and I swam faster and faster until broke to the surface just as the black spots overtook my vision.

    I coughed violently, hurrying to suck in the beautiful O2 - at that point I didn¡¯t care if the air was damp, stale and smelt like something that belonged in Shrek¡¯s swamp - I needed to breathe.

    The little shit bobbed its head above the surface of the water, taking in my pathetic state with a smug wiggle.

    I flipped it off.

    The orange fish flicked some black seaweed, hitting me directly on the bridge of my nose.

    I grimaced, wiping away at the funky green slime that now coated my face.

    It dipped up and down, as if it was laughing.

    ¡°Shush, not everyone can breathe underwater that long,¡± I swatted at him pettily under the water.

    He slapped my hand with his fin

    ¡°Fine, fine I¡¯ll go in. Stop slapping me,¡± I stroked it again before heaving myself onto the rocks with a plap.

    My soggy clothes hugged my body tightly, and I knew if I kept these on for too long, I¡¯d get sick.

    I shed my jacket, tipped out the remaining water from my shoes and tossed off everything else other than underwear and bra. I tried my best to wring the clothes and dry myself, but it was still freezing.

    I ended up putting my white top and jeans back on, despite how wet they were - I didn¡¯t like feeling so vulnerable.

    Just up ahead, the surface of this underwater cave transitioned from a rough calcite surface to something smooth and purposely textured to mimic a grey skirting board and glossy wallpaper patterns. A bright light emanated from further in.

    Was someone still here?

    I grabbed my belt from my jeans and ventured forward cautiously.

    This cave appeared to be an old home that hadn¡¯t been touched in years despite being brightly lit - the whole area smelt extremely damp, and each surface had a smooth sheen of moisture, slime and dirt covering it. The room was made up of a bed, cupboards, some depressions in the walls and a large table. Luckily, or unluckily, no one appeared to be here.

    The depressions were smoothly carved into bookshelves and the books that rested on them were of different shapes and sizes. They, too, were wet.

    I dropped my belt and yanked one off the shelf.

    It was definitely a spellbook of sorts, but the ink ran and soaked into the pages in discoloured, messy splotches so that I couldn¡¯t even see what language it was, nevermind attempting to decipher the absolutely horrid handwriting.

    I shook my head and shoved it back on the shelf - any of those books would be useless anyway - it''s not like I could have used any of them anyway.

    Opposite to the bookshelves was a really long worktop, and a painfully uncomfortable wooden chair tucked neatly underneath.

    Naturally, that wood had long rotted by now.

    On the table was a large glass jar full of knick-knacks, and bits and bobs were littered all over the table like tweezers, shreds of paper and little metal chain links that would belong on a necklace.

    Underneath, the largest pieces of paper had glued themselves to the table, mimicking the grey colour of the stone underneath - at this point it would be impossible to remove them without tearing them.

    On the other wall were weapons - a knife, sword, and even a scythe taller than Dad, stored diagonally so it wouldn¡¯t hit the ceiling. Whoever lived here before was dangerous.

    But what did the fish want me to see?

    With a frustrated sigh, I shuffled everything around. Nothing but miscellaneous items.

    Something shiny and round glinted out from the jar.

    I tipped it all out onto the desk, ignoring all of the little bits that rolled off.

    A heavy, beautiful amulet made of an obsidian metal was carefully sculpted around an oval aquamarine gem, totalling the size of a 2p coin. Despite how expensive it appeared to be, the edges and the jewel were a little scuffed - probably from when the owner put it in a jar full of other sharp, hard little bits.

    Well, if he wasn¡¯t going to appreciate it, I would.

    Remembering I didn¡¯t currently have pockets, I put it around my neck.

    The lights went out.

    Wind tugged at my hair from seemingly nowhere, carrying whispers of a deep voice with a language I couldn¡¯t quite place.

    Blue eyes, the same colour as the gem, emerged from the darkness. His face was sculpted with a sharp jawline, pointed nose and framed by short unruly hair the colour of dried palm leaves.

    His body was covered by a black-hooded long coat that extended into the darkness around us.

    ¡°Thank you! I was waiting for someone to finally pick me up - wait. Why are you practically naked?¡± Panicked, the stranger slapped his hands over his eyes, peeking at me through the gaps embarrassedly.

    I looked down at my bare feet and sighed.

    This was going to be¡­ a ride and a half.

 4 - Dissolving My Fears

    ¡°C-can you put something else on, please.¡± The guy stammered, turning around.

    I folded my arms.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s wet. It¡¯ll take longer to dry if I put it back on - I might even catch a cold,¡± I stated nonchalantly.

    A noise of discomfort escaped from his throat. ¡°You serious? I¡¯m going to use some magic. A moment please.¡±

    Everything around us heated up as the surrounding area was dried and cleaned up. Large floating discoloured water bubbles were extracted from the soaked books; slime washed away from the ceiling and the edge of the cave, and the uncomfortable, rotten old chair was burned to ashes.

    (Good riddance.)

    Old mediaeval robes and clothes for guys burst out from the cupboards I had yet to explore - loose trousers and shirt that could be tightened with a crudely made string, along with a luxurious thick cloak that even Little Red Riding Hood would have been jealous of; A deep rouge, embroidered with golden thread sewn in intricate patterns of holly and four leaf clovers.

    Startled, I yelped as I was buried by the cloth.

    I gave him a look as soon as my head could pop out of the opening.

    He gasped as I stuck my hands out from under the cloak to pull my trapped hair out from underneath.

    ¡°What sort of heathen clothing is this? You can see everything!¡±

    Oh goodie. I¡¯ve got a prehistoric man more ancient than my mother¡¯s lineage.

    Great.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be see-through if it was dry. Though what I¡¯ve got on is modest for today¡¯s clothing - wait until you see the swimsuits of today.¡± I added.

    He cringed.

    I picked up my (now dry) jacket and slung it over my shoulder, before studying the amulet closer.

    I could sense it pull something from me and the surroundings, but its effects? No clue.

    ¡°What exactly does this necklace do?¡± I held it up for him to see.

    ¡°It is nothing but a prison!¡± He spat, ¡°I got betrayed and trapped in there for millennia, passed around like an unwanted heirloom until I was boxed up, stored and forgotten.¡± He seethed. I could feel his anger rising.

    ¡°Damn, that sucks man. Sounds like a guy had it out for you or something.¡± I sympathised.

    Poor him, but the amulet sounds kind of useful.

    The man began to observe the room more carefully, looking at the bits and bobs on the table, before the glowing from my pockets caught his eye.

    ¡°Is that a healing mushroom?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not psychedelic?¡± I gasped. Disappointed, I pulled out the funky glowing mushroom from my pocket and rested it on the table.

    He raised his brow incredulously.

    ¡°It¡¯s an almost extinct mushroom. Eating it raw lets you heal any life threatening wound. It can cure most diseases within seconds. It¡¯s worth almost as much as dragon¡¯s blood because of its raw efficacy.

    ¡°But will it get me high?¡± I pressed on.

    ¡°...You¡¯re a special one, aren¡¯t you.¡± He pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned.

    My charm was taking hold.

    ¡°Dude, answer my question. Will it give me some fun sensory effects?¡± I whined.

    ¡°...Yes?¡± He answered confusedly.

    I fist-bumped the air and placed it back into my pocket.

    ¡°Dear lord, what have you brought me?¡± He muttered at the ceiling exasperatedly.

    ¡°Anyway, who are you?¡± I asked as I casually threaded my belt through my jeans again.¡±

    ¡°My name is Echo. Echo Garner.¡± He held his hand out.

    ¡°Ember Everett.¡±

    I shook it. Or well, I tried to.

    My hand met no resistance at all and passed straight through, vaporising his whole arm.

    ¡°What the fuck!¡± I shrieked. ¡°What are you? A hologram or something?¡±

    ¡°This body you see is nothing but a misty illusion. I was removed from my body when I was trapped in here.¡± He awkwardly scratched his head with his remaining hand as the other one reformed.

    This had to be ancient magic or something. I ran my hand through my hair anxiously.

    Something wasn¡¯t right.

    ¡°Why were you imprisoned here, Echo.¡± I got straight to the point.

    ¡°Many people were out to get me and my comrades, but I didn¡¯t realise they planned this.¡± He motioned to his evaporative self.

    I winced, ¡°Family sucks, I would know.¡±

    I could feel my nerves skyrocket triple-fold. My heart was vibrating.

    Wait.

    ¡°Comrades? You sound as if you were at war or something.¡±

    ¡°We were,¡± He puffed his chest out proudly, ¡°I was one of the reigning leaders of the humans participating in the war.

    ¡°What war?¡±

    He said he was millennia old. If he¡¯s that old, he must¡¯ve been on about¡­

    ¡°The war in which the whole world was involved in. I was one of the five who split the world in two.¡±

    His pale blue eyes were now electric as they pierced straight into me like hot needles.

    ¡°The Egregious Five,¡± I breathed out in terror, ¡°You set off the war, killing more than half of the world¡¯s population!¡±

    From what Dad told Angelica and I, the Egregious Five were evil, bloodthirsty beings that wanted to conquer the world. They used a forbidden magic to suck the lives of everything around, bringing a never-ending destruction upon anyone that would cross their paths.

    More than billions of each race died, many driven to extinction.

    Their actions? Catastrophic!

    And they still walked the Earth? He was one of them?

    I felt sick.

    I gripped the amulet, ready to fling it off me.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Echo waved his arms, panicking.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    My arms froze. Damnit! I tried to move my arms, wiggle my fingers.

    They didn¡¯t move an inch.

    ¡°Explain then!¡± I barked, ¡°Now!¡±

    My body shook.

    ¡°Ember, wait you need to-¡± He cut off.

    My head was swirling, my heart hammering and my skin glistening in a cold sweat. Blood drained from my head.

    I tried to gulp in the air and stabilise myself but my legs folded out underneath me.

    ¡°Ember!¡± His voice came out muddy.

    Echo tried to grab my shoulders, but his hands passed right through them.

    ¡°Calm down, okay? You¡¯re having- we¡¯re having a panic attack.¡± His arms flew to his chest as he too, tried to breathe evenly.

    Shakily, Echo knelt down to meet my eyes.

    ¡°I swear that - that I won¡¯t hurt you, Ember, but we need to steady ourselves or we¡¯re going to collapse.¡±

    I coughed and shook, but I tried to do as he said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it. In, and out, just like that.¡± Echo clenched his hands as we both sucked in the stale air.

    It took some time for the sudden flash of anxiety to fade, but once it did, I drove my fist through his chest.

    Echo dissipated for a moment before reforming again.

    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± I croaked weakly, ¡°What the fuck did you do?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t- I mean- I- Uh-¡± He stuttered sheepishly. Echo paused for a moment before clearing his throat.

    ¡°Sorry. It seems like both of our emotions bled into each other and both of our anxieties put together triggered your anxiety attack.¡± He blurted out.

    ¡°Fuck! Did any of your other owners get a similar thing?¡±

    Hurt arose within me, and I rubbed it guiltily. Didn¡¯t mean to use that wording.

    ¡°No one else has ever had the power to release me like this - I was just passed around everywhere,¡± He crossed his legs on the floor and sighed, ¡°Look. I promise I can explain everything, but I¡¯ll explain it once we¡¯re out of here and you feel more comfortable with me. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°No way Jos¨¦! Give me the CliffNotes.¡± I waved my hand.

    ¡°The what?¡±

    ¡°Give me a very, very short version of your past.¡±

    I needed to know what I was dealing with.

    ¡°I¡­¡± He trailed off.

    Echo opened his mouth, shut it again and bit his lip nervously.

    He was clearly mulling things over in his head, so I gave him some time.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to say, but the main points are that I was nothing but a warmonger who fought to protect the ones I loved and give the human race a chance to survive. I had to make decisions in a place where you didn¡¯t have the time to choose, to sacrifice one over the other. There was no rest, no hope, no mercy. I killed, and killed and killed to hold onto fragments of what I had left, and the worst part was I don¡¯t even know if it was worth it in the end,¡± His voice wavered.

    His head dropped into his hands despairingly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I regret it,¡± He whispered, ¡°But, all I know is that you, and whatever¡¯s left of the human race wouldn¡¯t have survived if it wasn¡¯t for that. There¡¯s a lot of blood on my hands, Ember, but I was never bloodthirsty. I made those decisions with my heart weeping for the devastation to come.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t imagine being in a situation like that. Domestic wars with Angelica, Mum and Dad were more up my alley, not life and death.

    And he did that for centuries?

    He waded through blood for his family, and they betrayed him?

    Exhaustion took hold of me, so I laid back and gazed at the candles on the wall, mulling over what he said.

    I could feel his curiosity poke at me.

    My view of the light was obscured by Echo peering at me, the light passing through his misty body, causing light to emanate from his body.

    He looked almost angelic.

    ¡°...What about you? What¡¯s your story?¡± He hugged his knees, peering down at me.

    ¡°Mine?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as yours.¡± I folded my arms under my head and settled.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He tilted his head, as if to say ¡®go on.¡¯

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the ability to use magic. I¡¯ve long past the age a human can have any hope of unlocking it. I was meant to inherit my father¡¯s position of Clan leader, but my little sister likes to lord it over me any chance she gets. She manipulated my parents out of their love for me after she unlocked her magic early, and in two weeks, I will be completely alone in a different city with no support.¡±

    I used my arm to cover my pained face, ¡°Today, I told them and myself that it would be better for me to move away, but I want them to treat me as an equal in their family. At this rate? I might never come back home to see their faces again. I shouldn¡¯t even bother trying - it would just be a waste.¡±

    Echo listened quietly and attentively, as if he was actually interested.

    I pulled my face into a watery grin, ¡°Family can suck, huh?¡±

    He mirrored my smile.

    Turmoil swirled in my chest, and I didn¡¯t know if it was from him or me.

    I was still fearful of Echo - His story wasn¡¯t going to erase the fear of the unmaker instilled into me from the history books.

    But it¡¯s clear that he doesn¡¯t seem as bad as history made him out to be (so far).

    He¡¯s the first person in a while that I didn¡¯t have the desire to murder.

    ¡°Maybe I can help you with that magic problem of yours. We had a technique that could let you use magic without needing to unlock it.¡±

    I snapped upright.

    ¡°You serious? Because that would be a shit move if you were ly-¡±

    ¡°Of course I am.¡± He huffed.

    ¡°Quick, ask me if I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Ask me if I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Um, do you trust me?¡± He asked cluelessly.

    ¡°Hell no. We don¡¯t know each other well enough yet, Echo. For all I know, you could be plotting mass destruction and use me against everyone, and for all you know, I could be using your knowledge to do things worse than you did.¡±

    I paused.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired of being hurt by the people who were meant to protect me. Humans can be disgusting, selfish and unnecessarily cruel. I just want peace, just as much as you.¡±

    Those words sunk in deep. I could feel them settle inside of myself, and Echo simultaneously.

    Determinedly, I met his eyes, ¡°One sided agreements, in my experience, have the most potential of manipulation. Therefore, I propose we make a deal. For you to unlock my magic and train me, what would you like from me in return?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything in return.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. For the eternity you¡¯ve been trapped in this thing, you¡¯ve not wanted a single thing?¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to walk through the world again.¡± He whispered, ¡°I wanted to feel things for myself.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Do you think a body can be crafted with magic?¡±

    It felt like a spark of hope was lit within him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been years since I was hidden from the world.¡±

    ¡°We can give it a go!¡±

    ¡°If I do train you, I want you to try again. Try with your parents I mean. I didn¡¯t get much of a chance with mine, and before I had the opportunity to give back to them, they passed. What I¡¯m saying is that I don¡¯t want you to regret not trying after getting this opportunity.¡±

    A lightning bolt shot through me. I hadn¡¯t thought about whether or not I would regret leaving Mum and Dad behind, not really.

    Had I ever thought about what being alone really meant? Or never seeing them again?

    It hurt more than I realised.

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°Good enough for me. I can make a soul contract, using a little bit of your magic. If any of us violate the contract, a punishment would be in order, which can include destroying our souls. Would you like to use it?¡±

    I held the amulet up to the light, observing the twisting black, similar to the little fishes that Dad and I would wash in the stream when I was little, when I thought I would make my father proud.

    I miss those times so much.

    I breathed in a shaky breath.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    My power drained, and my body glowed.

    ¡°I, Echo Garner, promise to teach Ember Everett to use magic. I shall be her friend, confidant and her strength for as long as Ember desires. I will keep her life safe to the best of my ability.¡±

    Woah. My heart warmed for the first time in years, and it felt like he actually cared or something.

    His resolve had me in awe.

    ¡°I, Ember Everett, promise to find a way for Echo to have a body. I will be his friend, confidant and strength, for as long as Echo desires! I will keep him safe to the best of my ability!¡± I shouted out confidently.

    Echo¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to add the last part.¡±

    The glowing of our bodies died down.

    ¡°Why the hell not? What you promised me was precious and I felt like I needed to meet that with sincerity. It was only right that I did the same.¡±

    I got to my feet and shoved my hands in my pocket with a grin.

    ¡°And besides, you need a friend to navigate the shit-hole the world has become now. Who else is better than me?¡±

    He stared at me, ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡±

    I folded my arms in mock offence, ¡°Hey! Normal is boring.¡±

    He laughed in a deep, rich baritone, ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Friend?¡± I held my hand out with a smile.

    Wait for it.

    ¡°Friend,¡± He took it.

    His arm dissolved again.

    ¡°Oh right, forgot about that,¡± He blushed in embarrassment.

    I snorted with a giggle, which transformed into a full blown guffaw.

    ¡°Oh my god, how could you forget? Even I remembered!¡±

    Echo pouted and stuck his tongue out. I fell back and laughed harder.

    ¡°Jeez, I can¡¯t believe you were an overlord. Thanks for that - took a lot of fear right out of me.¡± I wiped the imaginary tear from my eye.

    I yawned, glancing around at the room.

    ¡°Now¡­ How do we leave this place?¡±

    Echo scratched his head, ¡°Uh right. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The sound of my head slapping my forehead filled the cave.

 5 - Iced out

    Thankfully, the little fish who brought me here knew exactly what to do.

    After a few games of charades, me nabbing an old rucksack full of jewels and an oncoming headache caused by a lucky slap from the fish we then dubbed ¡®Fin¡¯, we were finally back where we started - the pond.

    It was finally time to leave - I almost didn¡¯t want to go.

    But I had things to do.

    ¡°Fin, do you know how to get back to the human world?¡±

    He swam as if he shook his head.

    ¡°Damn. Echo? Any ideas?¡±

    ¡°You mentioned earlier that you entered after you dropped blood onto the floor, right? A lot of ancients used blood as a gateway to their secret storage facilities and places of refuge.¡±

    ¡°So what, I share a bloodline with someone who can get here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of cool and weird. Does that mean my parents and sister can enter this place too?¡±

    ¡°Sister? Yes. Probably one of your parents though. Or both if they¡¯re related.¡±

    ¡°Ew.¡±

    Echo squinted as he observed the weeds around the pond.

    ¡°So what - I just pour the blood onto the grass?¡±

    ¡°Not the grass, it has to be something that¡¯s unlikely to change too much over time.¡±

    ¡°The dome? That¡¯s too far away, how am I supposed to reach that today? I have to be back soon or-¡±

    Echo sighed frustratedly, ¡°How about the pond? That¡¯s much closer.¡± He squinted amusedly.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I grinned.

    I picked at my scab hard and blotted it all over one of the stone bricks as if I was a four year old learning what finger painting was.

    Just as he suggested, the pond glowed and patterns swirled all over the surface in an old, unreadable language.

    Fin waved at us before diving deeper into the pond, along with all of his friends.

    I waved back, just as the light became unbearable. My arms shot to my face, but a blink later I was back at the building, though now the floor was bathed in rouge and orange hues of sunset. The dust inside had become massively displaced, and the particles rushed away from me in torrents.

    The cloak Echo put on me still engulfed my body and my back was heavy with the rucksack. The obsidian amulet still hung around my neck, but I couldn¡¯t see Echo.

    ¡°Echo?¡± I called out into the air. I gripped the amulet tightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Echo exclaimed, ¡°Just not visible. It¡¯s probably best for us if no one knew I was here, right? We might as well communicate through thoughts like this.¡±

    A wave of relief and amazement rolled over me. I laughed giddily.

    ¡°Damn, can I do that too? Can you hear this?¡± I sent him.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit that¡¯s so cool. Can you hear everything I¡¯m thinking about?¡±

    I could feel Echo try to rifle through my head somehow, as if someone was trying to thumb through the files of a densely packed storage unit. It was almost ticklish.

    ¡°Only the outermost thoughts, or if it''s strong. You can go through mine as well, it seems like.¡±

    Neat!

    ¡°We can both definitely feel each other¡¯s feelings, and I don¡¯t know if we can block them. I understand that having both of us feeling the same thing can be very overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°I guess we¡¯re just going to have to have better emotional control where it¡¯s important.¡± I shrugged.

    Curiosity got the better of me, and I poked Echo in my mind.

    ¡°Are there any other party tricks we can do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll figure it out though.¡±

    Well, that sounded incredibly ominous.

    The chirping of the birds caught my attention.

    ¡°Anyway, prepare to be amazed and disappointed. Welcome to the modern human world.¡± I clapped. Echoes reflected back, adding to the pitiful applause, ¡°First things first, I gotta get some of this exchanged somehow for some dosh.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just exchange them for items directly?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no. It¡¯s not like it''s easy to find someone who needs this stuff. Instead we trade in worthless metals and plastic notes with the ¡®promise¡¯ of whatever the value was. Each note is standardised, though it''s all slowly getting worse with debit and credit cards - you don¡¯t even get to hold the money in your hands anymore.¡±

    ¡°...That sounds incredibly stupid.¡±

    ¡°Eh, some people agree, some people disagree. We can¡¯t do much to change the flow of the world, only turn it to our advantage,¡± I grinned, ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s a conspiracy theory so that people of higher powers can stockpile it for themselves. Don¡¯t know what they intend to do with it all though.¡±

    I could feel Echo ponder over it, so I let that sink in for him.

    My eyes almost bulged out of my sockets when I saw the time.

    Shit.

    I had to get home or Mum was going to lock the door on me again. But where do I hide all of this stuff? And the cloak too?

    Maybe I should leave some of it here? But Echo said that anyone with the same bloodline as I could access it.

    ¡°Echo, do you know how to hide some of the stuff here so no one can get to it, or know about it?¡±

    ¡°Hm. I could make a hole underneath the concrete floor for you to put all of your stuff in. Would that work?¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡±

    I poured out a bunch of the massively large jewels and kept three smaller ones; a ring, a necklace and a diamond about the size of the nail of my thumb. I stuffed them all into the rucksack.

    But what about the cloak?

    I mean it was pretty. And soft. And warm to wear.

    ¡°Why are all women the same?¡± Echo pondered loudly.

    I shushed him and stuffed the cloak into my bag too.

    I poured all the items on the floor. Echo drew the magic from me and started off the spell. The items all collapsed deeper into the earth, and a neat layer of concrete formed back on top.

    I bolted out of the building, heaved the door shut and scrambled to get home.

    But what then? Are they even going to bother? Do they even know I¡¯ve been out?

    I slowed to a light jog as I finally approached the outside of the house.

    Angelica and our parents were no longer outside and the gusts of wind had grown stronger and chilly.

    My hands hesitated over the handle.

    ¡°Yeah, uh, just a word of warning. Dinner¡¯s going to be annoying as hell, but try and keep quiet so I can focus,¡± I warned.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°...I¡¯ll try.¡± Echo was doubtful.

    I was so screwed.

    With a sigh, I twisted the doorknob and tried to sneak in as quiet as I could.

    But no.

    Instead, I opened the door to Mum¡¯s angry face.

    ¡°And where have you been?¡± She folded her arms.

    ¡°A walk in the woods, Mum. I think I¡¯m entitled to that at least. No one else was supposed to be using it on the other side anyway.¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°So where did all of this stuff on your back come from? The woods?¡±

    ¡°No, I got a message in the middle of my walk to pick up the textbooks I ordered for uni. I left the woods and headed to town to pick them up since I had nothing better to do,¡± I lied.

    ¡°So you went to town, and not the woods?¡±

    I threw my hands up in the air frustratedly, ¡°Did you not listen to a word I said? I got a message in the woods. I could have absolutely gone to both places in the time it probably took you to notice I was gone. Now can I come inside? It¡¯s getting cold and this is a stupid thing to argue over.¡±

    She moved to the side coldly and silently.

    Ignoring her stare, I kicked my shoes off and bolted up the stairs before she had the chance to interrogate me harder.

    Speedily, I snuck everything that was in my backpack into the boxes with my clothes in and taped them shut.

    If they find that, they all have several screws loose.

    To keep my lie believable, I lifted the box containing my textbooks onto the bed and folded open some of the flaps so it appeared as if I just placed them in.

    ¡°Is doing all of this really necessary?¡± Echo questioned, ¡°It seems a bit over the top to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to hide it and keep it to yourself. It''s harder if they manage to find holes in your story, which inevitably ends up in you having to make more lies or explain everything,¡± I explained.

    I groaned as I sunk into my bed. I stared up at the shade on my bedroom light and brushed my curls back.

    ¡°Everything out here seems so different to what I ever thought humanity was capable of.¡±

    ¡°Technology and the understanding of the world has developed immensely over time, thanks to scientists of non-mages.¡±

    ¡°Non mages?¡±

    ¡°Majority of this world is made up of people who cannot do, and don¡¯t know any magic. Around about 600 or 700 years ago, a bunch of witch hunts to eliminate mages and the supernatural remaining in this world began, and the rest of us went into hiding. Ever since, we¡¯ve been a secretive society that has a bigger hand on the other side than here.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Echo¡¯s shock emanated from within, ¡°That was something I never expected happening.¡±

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s life for us now, and honestly? This kind of life isn¡¯t so bad.¡±

    I closed my eyes, smelling the fresh air coming in from the window and the sounds of a gentle shower outside. Nature was at peace.

    At some point I must have dozed off, because my eyes shot open to the thunderous sound of Dad¡¯s relentless knocking.

    ¡°Ember, dinner¡¯s ready!¡±

    Here we go again.

    The door slammed open, cracking the wall further with the doorknob.

    ¡°What the fuck, Dad!?¡± I groaned. ¡°It¡¯s been 2 seconds since you shouted the first time.¡±

    ¡°Your mother made fish and chips, so be quick.¡±

    Well, I¡¯ll be damned.

    I scrambled off the bed and followed Dad¡¯s method of jumping over the bannister, landing silently on the carpet below.

    Mum slapped our arms lightly with a frown.

    ¡°Ember, help set up the table,¡± Dad pushed me towards the countertop and gracefully slipped his seat.

    I grabbed the plates from the cabinet on autopilot and arranged them all as normal.

    Footsteps echoed from the basement below, and a blonde head poked out from behind the wall. Angelica ran up to Dad, excitedly wrapping her hands around his neck in a rough hug.

    ¡°How¡¯s the training going, sweetie?¡± He kissed her cheek.

    ¡°Good! Wanna see?¡± She wiggled her eyebrows.

    Just as I filled the jug, water burst from the spout, spinning brilliantly in the air and landing elegantly into each of our cups.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re getting pretty good at water magic now,¡± He took a massive sip from his cup obnoxiously, ¡°Hm! Tastes great. Thanks Angelica!¡± He ruffled her blonde hair affectionately.

    It was the same water that came out of the taps! How could it taste any different?

    I sighed silently and refilled the jugs again.

    There was only so much you could act cute before it became annoying.

    ¡°Is that how she acts all of the time?¡± Echo groaned, ¡°It looks so fake.¡±

    I scoffed, ¡°I know right? I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re this blind.¡±

    Smoothly, I pulled out my chair and seated myself, rubbing my hands.

    ¡°Hey Echo?¡± I asked in my head, just as Mum served the smoking-hot bubbly battered fish on the plate, filled to the brim with chips and mushy peas. ¡°Have you ever had this before?¡±

    ¡°Never. It looks¡­ interesting,¡± Apprehension seeped out from within.

    ¡°Well, it certainly tastes interesting,¡± I laughed mentally, ¡°Here, have a bite.¡±

    Following Dad¡¯s cue, I began to shovel it into my mouth.

    Crisp, flavourful fish and deep fried fatty lard burst open on my tongue and I resisted the urge to moan out loud.

    ¡°Is this what you eat everyday? I wouldn¡¯t mind having that for the rest of my life,¡± He groaned.

    ¡°Oh Echo, my sweet summer child, you ain¡¯t tasted nothing yet.¡±

    He urged me to swallow more, and I complied happily.

    ¡°Ember, how¡¯s the search for an apartment going?¡± Mum questioned me in-between the bites of her own meal.

    ¡°Not well - if you guys had told me to move out earlier, I might have actually found a place to move into, but even the applications for the university dorm rooms have closed.¡± I sighed, ¡°The only rooms available are now ¡ê1000 a month, which we can all agree on is too high a price.¡±

    Dad nodded in agreement, whilst Mum¡¯s lips pursed, as if to say not high enough to keep you.

    ¡°I¡¯ll still have to stay here for this year, at least,¡± My expression morphed into a smile, ¡°But, all of the people who harass me should be going to different universities anyway, so they shouldn¡¯t be here to bother me,¡±

    I could feel Angelica¡¯s mood worsen. I wonder if I could make her snap.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be spending a lot of time at the university or work - if anyone comes to harass me there, it won¡¯t be because I went out of my way to attack them,¡± I looked at Dad dead in the eyes, ¡°And I¡¯ll finally be able to prove that I was right.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite smart. By announcing that, it should be harder for them to attack you. However, if they don¡¯t follow and attack you, it would suggest that you really are a liar.¡± He mused.

    ¡°Anything that doesn¡¯t get me hurt is a win in my books, Echo.¡± I laughed, ¡°I stopped caring about what they thought of me as soon as Dad stopped believing me. Being safe is more important than being loved right now.¡±

    Angelica grimaced when her cup became empty. A thread of anger and mischief slipped from Echo as she eyed the water jug.

    ¡°What are you planning?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Watch.¡±

    Angelica twirled more water into her jug with magic, and began to cover the cup to form ice cubes.

    Suddenly a thick spike from the glass shot out and struck Angelica straight through her palm.

    ¡°What the fuck!¡± I yelped, both out loud and to Echo.

    Dark blood flowed heavily from Angelica¡¯s hand and tainting her glass red. Clouds of red ink swirled and collapsed in the water, coating the ice cube thickly. She pulled out her hand from the shards of ice and clutched it tightly.

    ¡°What the fuck, Echo? Is this your idea of a prank?¡± With my sleeve, I wiped away some of the blood on my cheek.

    ¡°What¡¯s the harm? I did this all the time with my family.¡±

    ¡°Um, she¡¯s hurt and bleeding-¡±

    ¡°Relax, if your parents are halfway decent mages, they¡¯ll heal her. Besides, she absolutely deserves it. She annoys me.¡±

    They did have the power to heal her - I watched them do it to her growing up.

    Not to mention that these accidents were common from what I heard.

    But did she deserve it?

    Hell yeah! I wasn¡¯t going to be sympathetic to a person who was the reason I got black eyes and bruises for seven years of my life.

    ¡°Dude, your family must¡¯ve been bonkers to do this on a regular basis,¡± I shook my head, resisting the urge to smile, ¡°But give me a warning next time! Jeez.¡±

    More blood began to pour from Angelica¡¯s wound.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± She stuttered helplessly.

    Dad and Mum¡¯s chairs fell back against the carpet as they flocked to her side. Mum hugged her tightly as she rocked her back and forth, slowly combing her fingers in her hair and silencing her wails in an instant.

    The edges of the room became dark - all I could focus on was the way Dad cupped her cheek preciously like a crystal glass goblet.

    My heart broke into a million shards, embedding themselves in my lungs and stomach. My breath was caught in my throat, and my eyes burned.

    When was the last time he looked at me like that? Would that moment ever come again?

    Echo flinched from my jealousy and guilt emanated from within.

    Angelica stammered, ¡°I was just trying to make ice, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡±

    ¡°Honey, it¡¯s okay. Mistakes like this happen when you practise magic - next time do it on an object you¡¯re not holding onto, okay?¡± Dad soothed with a gentle laugh.

    ¡°Here, let me heal you-¡± Mum fussed over Angelica¡¯s hand, rubbing over it with hushed whispers of a spell until the wound was gone. Wordlessly, she pulled her hand to the sink and washed away the blood.

    Clenching my teeth, I looked down at my bloodied self through a watery blur.

    I stood alone in this house.

    ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore - you have me.¡± His voice echoed strongly in my mind, warming my chest.

    A small smile formed on my lips, and the sadness that engulfed me before began to lighten.

    I scraped my plate into the bin and left it all behind.

 6 - Getting bloody sick of it

    ¡°Can¡­ Can we lie down?¡± Echo panted, ¡°Or take off the amulet or something, I can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡±

    ¡°No can do. You¡¯re going to be feeling this way more often - get used to it,¡± I laughed despite the pain.

    Over the past week, Echo and I had finally settled into a good routine; understanding the main challenges of having privacy, using technology and gender differences. Though, the last one was definitely a work in process, much to my secret sadistic delight and Echo¡¯s dismay. I didn¡¯t blame him for having a hard time adapting, but there were some things that he was just going to have to take on the chin.

    More specifically, having a period and the god awful cramps that accompany it.

    ¡°I will never underestimate women again. Who said they were weaker than men?¡±

    I wrinkled my nose, ¡°I mean physically? Sure. The rest? No. We¡¯re not some alien species, but I¡¯m glad there¡¯s some differences. If anything we¡¯re smarter, that¡¯s for sure,¡± I tacked on playfully.

    Nausea reared its head. I coughed lightly.

    ¡°Oh lord!¡± Echo gasped.

    I looked into the bathroom mirror with disappointed pity.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll look for some painkillers and try one of them remedies or something,¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Try all of them.¡±

    I rolled my eyes.

    With a sigh, I begrudgingly descended the stairs and turned on the kettle before I yanked open the medicine cupboard in the kitchen.

    Where on earth was that paracetamol?

    Carefully, I got on my tippy-toes and rifled through the old various bandages, needles and the homemade antibiotics jar until I found a little blue box right at the back of the cupboard.

    Aha!

    I popped one out from the foil and swallowed it dry.

    Echo gagged, ¡°I feel it stuck in your throat.¡±

    I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop the giggles from escaping as I poured some water out into a clear mug with my teabag in.

    After a healthy dollop of honey, I stirred the mug carefully and took a long sip.

    Syrupy sweetness coated my tongue, and I sighed in bliss.

    ¡°Mmm. That¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should drink this more often,¡± I agreed.

    The warmth of the tea penetrated my cold, clammy hands as I watched the bubbles in the tea swirl absentmindedly.

    ¡°Take another sip, I want another one!¡± Echo exclaimed.

    ¡°What are you, five?¡± I snorted, ¡°Wait for it to cool down a bit more or-¡±

    ¡°Oh, you made tea? Make me a mug,¡± A cocky voice rang out from the entrance.

    I spilled some of the burning tea onto the counter. Hastily, I grabbed a tea towel and began to mop up some of the mess before Mum could slap me for staining the cream carpets she got six months ago.

    ¡°Dave!¡± I exclaimed with gritted teeth. I turned around to face him, ¡°What on earth brings swine like you here?¡±

    ¡°To use the woods for magic practice, you silly cow. You ask the stupidest questions. Just pour me a cup for now - it¡¯s all you¡¯re good for anyway!¡± He mocked.

    ¡°I see why you don¡¯t like him,¡± Echo observed.

    ¡°No shit, Sherlock.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Sherlock?¡± He questioned.

    I grimaced.

    Dated references were still a work in progress.

    ¡°Well, at least I can pour tea. What are you good for? Kissing ass? Angelica¡¯s more specifically.¡± I snapped back, ¡°Pour it yourself - I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± I spun on my heels to head upstairs, only for my hand with the mug to be grabbed roughly.

    I hissed in agony as the mug bounced off the ground, splattering freshly boiled water over my arms and feet.

    I lost it.

    ¡°Fuck. OFF!¡± I threw his arm away from me, snapped his head upwards and hit my palm into his chest to push him back.

    Dave wheezed as he toppled backwards into one of the settee chairs, trying desperately to breathe in some oxygen.

    Just who did he think he was?

    ¡°Thanks asshole - now I have to make another cup. And I only had one sip of it as well.¡± I griped.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not very nice, Ember,¡± Angelica sniggered as she made her way to stand behind Dave. She held her hand out like a damsel, ¡°I apologise on my sister¡¯s behalf.¡±

    ¡°Water off a duck¡¯s back,¡± Dave grasped her hand gently and kissed it like a medieval knight, before grabbing it to pull himself up.

    I folded my arms and cringed, ¡°Gross, go flirt somewhere else. No one wants to see you swap spit on Mum¡¯s Persian rug. You and Angelica there can piss off. And when you piss off somewhere else, piss off from there too. Then piss off some more. Keep pissing off until you get back here. Then piss off again!¡± I spat, ¡°I swear this is all you guys know how to do.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to be in the same room as them for a second longer unless I wanted to vomit. Honey tea be damned.

    Echo mourned for the tea.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make more when they leave,¡± I promised him.

    I stormed halfway up the stairs, only for a soft hand to hand me back hard.

    My hair waved in front of me as I was free-falling. I knew there was a table with a mug stand on it, waiting.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I was done for.

    Pain throbbed throughout my body as Echo tried to activate my magic, but it was too late.

    It felt as if an arrow pierced my skull and kept me there - I couldn¡¯t move, stand or speak. My fingers and toes were unresponsive, and my vision was heavily distorted, as if I went for thirty rounds on a rollercoaster with fifty loops.

    Blood dribbled from my skull, running down the curve of my back as it became absorbed by my long sleeve and jeans.

    Angelica cackled delightedly through warbles of static, ¡°Just die already. You don¡¯t have anything else to live for anyway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got you!¡± Echo screamed in my mind, ¡°Focus on my voice!¡±

    I tried to respond but everything was jumbled - I ended up jerking my fingers instead.

    My strength continued to drain as Echo got to work healing up my skull, but it was all too much.

    ¡°W-t¡¯s¡­ Emb¨C¡± Dad¡¯s voice cut off like the static of a TV.

    My body was lifted roughly by the shoulders as my head was dropped quickly onto his lap.

    Echo halted his progress and a different burning cold power rushed in from the outside, slowly stitching head back together.

    Pain. Pain. PaIN. PAIN PAIN. IT HURTSHURTSHURTS.

    MAKEITSTOPHELPHELPMEPLEASE-

    ¡°I can take over from here. Sleep.¡±

    I woke up on my bed, still coated in drying blood.

    Damn it, I was going to have to change the sheets after this.

    ¡°You were inches from death, went through unspeakable pain and that¡¯s the first thing you think about when you wake up?¡± Echo sighed exasperatedly.

    ¡°But laundry is such a pain.¡±

    Echo paused before reluctantly making a mental noise of agreement.

    ¡°So¡­ what happened?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Angelica yanked you back and cracked-¡±

    ¡°Not that bit. Dad was fixing me up and then everything went blank.¡±

    ¡°Um, I ended up taking over your body by putting you to sleep in the amulet.¡±

    Holy shi-

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could do that! I swear. I tried to move to the front and cut off your pain, but it turns out I accidentally swapped places with you. Oh, but don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve managed to put you back,¡± Echo rambled.

    ¡°How reassuring.¡± I muttered dryly.

    A bolt of fear struck me regardless. Was it really that easy for him to take over? All this time and he could have taken my body to God-knows where?

    Even with our pact, it was frightening to know how much control he had over me.

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t abuse this power, Ember. All I desire is my own body - not yours. Sorry, but the experience of having menstrual cramps ruined it for me.¡± He joked, but I could feel his anxiousness peek through.

    ¡°Lovely. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I can feel your honesty, but trust takes time to build - on both sides. I can¡¯t exactly put my blind faith in you yet. This ability, however, is something we are definitely testing out later.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± He mentally shrugged.

    ¡°Where the hell is Dad anyway?¡± I grimaced when I scratched some of the congealed blood off my scalp.

    ¡°Dad?¡± I called out.

    ¡°I¡¯m here! Just a minute!¡± He called out from down the corridor.

    I heard Dad curse as he tripped on the rug and slammed the door open hard enough to chip a bit more off the wall.

    ¡°Does your Dad have to open the door like this every time?¡± Echo muttered, ¡°It startles me.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± He parted my tangled and matted hair as he rifled over parts of my scalp. ¡°Any pain? Vision loss?¡±

    ¡°Um, no- ow!¡± He gripped my chin as he pointed my face upwards as he shone a light into my eyes, switching between each one.

    ¡°Okay, good. Thank God! I almost had a panic-¡±

    ¡°Can you let go of my cheeks? They hurt.¡± I interrupted him.

    ¡°Sorry. Force of habit.¡±

    I clenched my teeth.

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t even be a habit, what disrespect!¡± Echo fumed.

    Our fury fused together into a swirling sea of flames, and I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Force of habit?¡± I bit out, folding my arms, ¡°Manhandling your daughter is a force of habit? Are you even listening to yourself?¡± I growled.

    Speaking like this wasn¡¯t going to fix anything.

    I turned away before I completely exploded on him.

    He scratched his head, ¡°...Right. Sorry, Ember.¡±

    My head snapped forward in surprise and my eyes widened. ¡°Right, um. Thanks. Don¡¯t do it again,¡± I coughed awkwardly as my anger slowly turned down to a simmer.

    ¡°So¡­ what happened?¡± He questioned.

    His hand cupped my cheeks and my eyes almost watered from that scalding, gentle warmth.

    My mouth opened, then closed again as I gazed at his gentle expression. I cupped his hand with longing, desperation and fear that I would never feel it again.

    How cruel did fate have to be to give me such false hope that he¡¯d ever love me like before?

    I was nothing but a fuck-up and a disaster. All I knew was how to struggle against everyone around me. I didn¡¯t do softness. He would never accept what I said. Never.

    I was going to hurt him. Him, and everyone else around me - I always did.

    My eyes shut tightly and I ripped my hand away from my face. I already mourned for what was to come, but I didn¡¯t want to hide how I felt anymore.

    ¡°You won¡¯t like what I¡¯m about to say, Dad. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway,¡± I smiled sadly.

    ¡°Try me,¡± He folded his arms and nodded for me to spill the tea.

    I bit my lip nervously, ¡°Someone - either Angelica or Dave, I¡¯m not sure which - decided to yank me down the stairs so hard that I bashed my head open on the table. Angelica left me there to bleed out. I heard her laugh as my blood coated the floor before I blanked out.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t hallucinating or something? It seems very out of character for her.¡±

    My eyes darkened. He didn¡¯t even humour the notion.

    I¡¯d had enough.

    ¡°Look, this is what I heard alright? I don¡¯t care if you believe it or not, I didn¡¯t expect a solution from you anyway. I¡¯m done! I don¡¯t want to be in the same house as Angelica anymore! I¡¯m tired of the constant danger, the lies, the hurt I feel when I¡¯m with all of you here. If Angelica and Dave keep doing this, I swear to God I¡¯m going to - Ugh!¡± Frustrated, I punched the pillow as hard as I could.

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Dad grabbed my shoulder.

    ¡°Do not tell me to calm down!¡± I shook him off hard, ¡°You don¡¯t care enough to say that to me, you really don¡¯t. No one here is on my side.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do - I healed you for God¡¯s sake. Talk like a civilised person for once and we can try and work through your problems with Angelica.¡±

    Gently, he pushed me back down to the bed, but I slapped his arm away.

    I laughed bitterly at his naivety, ¡°You haven¡¯t been my father for years, and you don¡¯t even know it! A father would, I don¡¯t know, not treat me worse than the bird shit on top of your Stefano Beamers. I tried so hard to be loved by you and I have gotten nothing but scorn! I am a social pariah for the whole town to gawk at because my own family treats me so! You pretend to be the perfect man with a perfect family, but I am the only shadow. Your picture perfect family will fall apart sooner or later, so get your head out of your ass and open your damn eyes you-¡±

    My head flung back and my cheek stung as if he stuck about a thousand needles into it.

    He just slapped me-

    ¡°I am ordering you to calm down. This is not up for negotiation. Calm down, or I¡¯m kicking you out of the house for the night. Spend it on the benches of town for all I care.¡±

    I laughed harder.

    This was it! It always ended like this! It was how it was always going to be.

    Everything was useless.

    ¡°Ember¡­¡± Echo trailed off.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks Dad. I think I¡¯ll take you up on that offer. I won¡¯t change myself for you anymore. I don¡¯t want to talk to you. I don¡¯t even want to see you anymore. Have fun figuring out how I ended up in that state in your perfect, safe house, and have fun having a go at Angelica for snogging Dave in the living room last week. I was surprised she hadn''t lost her tongue down his throat with how much they were going at it.¡±

    I opened the window and jumped out with practiced ease.

    ¡°Ember! Get back here and explain!¡±

    I flipped him the bird and sprinted away, turning my back on him once again.

 7 - Kindling a Flame of Hope

    I ran.

    I ran and I ran and I ran.

    My heart thundered along to the beat of my feet slamming into the ground as I sprinted across the woods.

    Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, but I refused to let that happen.

    I didn¡¯t even know if Dad had bothered to chase me.

    They¡¯re all the same! Selfish pricks who can¡¯t even open their own damn eyes!

    The extra fluid blurred my vision, but I still kept them in, even as I stormed through the entrance of the old building and bit my thumb to draw the blood. With a careless, rough shake, it splattered onto the ground. Light engulfed me once again and I was transported onto the grass alone.

    My lip wobbled pathetically.

    No more tears! I won¡¯t waste anymore on them, I won¡¯t!.

    Slowly, I slid down the wall of the pond and rested my head on the cool stone to try and cool my head.

    I looked up at the sky.

    Starlight twinkled determinedly through my tears, illuminating the whole dome in a gentle light that threatened to blur into a single watery mess in my eyes.

    Sadness, guilt, anger and an intense longing all surged up within me at once.

    I blinked and a tear fell.

    Was I really so weak?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry, Ember. Crying is no weakness - it showed that you were strong enough to care for such people, despite how little they did for you. It shows you are human.¡± Echo comforted me.

    ¡°No!¡± I shouted, ¡°It shows that I am nothing but an idiot! I hoped for years to be accepted like Angelica was. I tried to appease them, even by hurting myself to try and unlock my magic. I spent more than millions of hours training and practicing for the day I would do my first spell, to show them that I was what they hoped I¡¯d be - the continuation of their bloodline! And as the clock ran down? With every day that I couldn¡¯t do magic, they drifted further and further away, shunned me! I grovelled at their feet, but nothing ever worked! Nothing!¡±

    I quietened from my outburst, ¡°All I got in the end was hate. I was never enough.¡±

    Defeated, I wiped my tears to look back at the unknown constellations in the sky with clarity, all apart yet connected by their light branching out in haloes.

    I raised my hand to trace their hidden paths.

    ¡°I could hold the whole world in the palm of my hands and I would still never be enough, because I can¡¯t do the only thing they ever cared about - magic!¡±

    I was exhausted trying to run around them. But what else was I supposed to do? I was their daughter. They were all I had in this cruel, cruel world.

    Who else was meant to love me, if not them?

    God, I really was alone, wasn¡¯t I?

    My head dropped to my knees to block out the world and I hugged them tightly.

    ¡°Never change for them, Ember. You only ever need to change yourself for yourself. You are as lovely as you are, and despite what you think, you have your charming qualities as well - you put care into the things you love; your plants, your work, your future, but the one thing you don¡¯t seem to put care into is yourself, in the present.¡±

    I laughed sharply, ¡°No way, I never put care into the things I was meant to, things that would have made me a better person. I destroyed my relationships like lighting a match in a petrol station. You know what? I hurt Dave when I was fifteen, and ever since then, he¡¯s always hated me. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Everything I¡¯m getting now is nothing short of karma.¡±

    Echo¡¯s curiosity peaked.

    ¡°What¡­ exactly happened between you and that piece of work?¡±

    I sighed, ¡°Me and Dave weren''t always like this - we used to be joined at the hip, but I was the one who broke it off. The straw that broke the camel¡¯s back was when we had an overnight school trip. Dave wanted me to come, and I couldn¡¯t - I had to take care of Angelica whilst Dad was at a clan meeting with the district leader, and Mum wanted to visit Grandma and Grandad on the other side. Dave claimed that Mum and Dad were just using me as a free babysitter, that I was working myself to death and to refuse,¡± I ran my hand through my hair frustratedly.

    ¡°I was so stupid and gullible. I was already on thin ice because Angelica had hurt herself by falling down the stairs and I wasn¡¯t there to protect her, so I had no choice but to tell Dave to leave me. He wanted me to give up my efforts towards my family, and I said some really nasty things that poked at his own weaknesses. We had a fight. We ended up beating each other up. He even lost a tooth, and I broke my nose. We both ended up being put in suspension, and Dave couldn¡¯t go on that trip either, no matter how much we both looked forward to it. After that, we just¡­ drifted. I regret that moment so, so much. I missed my chance to apologise and now he¡¯s with Angelica, and I¡¯m here, alone. It was my cruelty in that conversation, things I never should have said that got me here.¡±

    Echo mulled it all over silently. I could tell he was thinking about it carefully, and I was grateful.

    He took his time before finally speaking, ¡°You don¡¯t deserve all of the scorn, in my opinion. You were frustrated. You were frightened at the prospect of stepping out of line and losing your place in your family. You were afraid of being shut out by the ones you loved the most.¡±

    His words bore a deep gash into my heart, but they were the words I needed to hear.

    I needed to accept the awful, awful circumstances.

    ¡°I was afraid of being alone,¡± I eventually admitted.

    ¡°Loneliness is terrifying for people who live as long as us,¡± Echo agreed. ¡°All that time I spent in that amulet alone was like being stuck in a prison with no windows. I had no eyes to see, no limbs to move and no lungs to breathe. All I could do was try to feel the flow of magic, but even that waned over time in that cave. I had no one to watch my back, no one to-¡±

    ¡°-to talk to. All you needed was someone to listen.¡±

    He made a nose of affirmation.

    ¡°Someone to listen, someone to talk to, and someone to tell me the empty words that everything was going to be okay. That we always had a place to belong. I worked with my family to make a world where we could belong, and that resulted in a horrifying war that had no victors. We-I made that choice. And I have to live with it. I can¡¯t make what I did right - everyone from then has already passed - but you still have that chance, if you ever want to, Ember.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    I shuttered my eyes closed as a small flame of hope finally kindled within me. Maybe I still had something good in me.

    ¡°I promise to make a space where we belong. I will change myself, so that I don¡¯t hate myself, so that I don¡¯t regret anything.¡±

    ¡°You have a strong groundwork to build upon already, don¡¯t cut yourself short. In the time I¡¯ve spent in your body, I love the way you wrinkle your nose at something funny, how much you love food and nature and the way you spend time appreciating the things you have. Your devotion to your promises and what you love is amazing. The two worlds out there are vast, and I know that we¡¯ll find a home in them somewhere. We will find peace. You won¡¯t be alone. In the meantime,¡±

    He materialised his misty self before me and bowed with a smirk.

    ¡°You have me,¡± He winked his blue eyes mischievously.

    I giggled childishly before shoving him roughly and watching him turn into mist.

    ¡°Oh my God! You totally acted like a playboy there!¡±

    ¡°A playboy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! A guy who chases a lot of girls!¡±

    He visibly recoiled in disgust, ¡°No thanks.¡±

    I cackled, this time wiping away my tears as I cried of laughter.

    ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± He floated towards me to stare into my eyes and check me over.

    ¡°Better. Thanks Echo.¡± I smiled.

    I crossed my legs on the grass and leaned against the wall of the pond, feeling the tension and anger leave. Exhaustion finally set in.

    Echo hovered over me, ¡°That took a lot out of you.¡±

    I made a noise of agreement.

    ¡°And here I thought I was going to teach you magic in the time we¡¯ve got until tomorrow. You¡¯ve been following your routine perfectly so far, and after all those years of effort, you¡¯re finally able to try my technique.¡±

    Over the past few weeks, Echo had me running or exercising to improve my base strength, all whilst trying to concentrate my magic in my core. Although I had been doing so in the past, his exercising tasks had somehow been more efficient and faster than what Dad taught me.

    After all that hard work, I was finally ready!

    I leapt to my feet.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°...You could say that. I¡¯ll teach you the method I developed all those years ago. It definitely won¡¯t be the same as doing it the natural way, but at least you can take this chance to learn how to protect yourse-¡±

    I squealed and fist-bumped the air, ¡°Where do I start?¡±

    ¡°It''s not that simple. Sit down and let me explain.¡±

    I kneeled on the ground and looked up at him patiently.

    He, too, took a seat opposite me.

    ¡°All living things have a centre, from which mana pours out and fills your whole body to keep it alive. You could say it¡¯s a bit like a volcano - Lava is stored at the centre in the base, and flows out from different passageways to the top and sides before running down and outwards in streams. We all have our paths etched out in our bodies, only they are blocked and misshapen. As we grow, the shapes of these paths become more regular and open - this is when we can use our mana at the surface.¡±

    ¡°So my problem is that my pathways are blocked? Will you be able to unblock them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Each body has a different centre, different pathway - it''s like the number of veins in the body. I¡¯d have to try and map out every single one and try to figure out its natural flow before I could do anything about it. And I don¡¯t want to mistakenly harm you - there have been more fatalities in this process than anything else. I¡¯ll figure out a way for you to unblock them, but for now? I have a different way of letting you use magic, though there are¡­drawbacks.¡±

    ¡°Drawbacks?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯ll hurt to force magic out when the right pathways don¡¯t exist yet. Sometimes, it¡¯s faster to just ignore the pathways directly and push it out from elsewhere. It won¡¯t hurt for small tasks, but for large ones? It can hurt immensely.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been using my magic already like this, haven¡¯t you? How bad could it be?¡±

    ¡°...Like a big ouch?¡± Echo answered dumbly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to describe it.¡±

    I snorted, ¡°What the hell does a ¡®big ouch¡¯ even mean? Let¡¯s try a spell.¡±

    I searched the area to see if there was anything we could do without hurting the trees. I tapped the ground with my foot in thought.

    Eureka!

    ¡°Let¡¯s try and lift a huge chunk off the ground and see what happens.¡±

    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s one of the spells that require a bit more power. It should be okay to gauge this.¡±

    My mana drained much more than I had ever felt Echo do before. I gasped as large chunks of solid floated into the air, congealing into a huge, spherical mound of dirt.

    This wasn¡¯t even as bad as my period pains!

    Echo grumbled something about women having higher pain tolerance exasperatedly, which made me chuckle.

    Echo increased the size of the mound and compressed it into a smooth, round dirt ball the size of a three-storey house.

    The pain increased a bit more.

    He spun the ball in circles, sending it far above and widening its radius. He used more magic to orbit it faster and faster.

    It hurt a bit more, but still tolerable.

    Echo made a noise of frustration before pumping out even more magic to lift a huge wave of water and compressing it.

    ¡°Echo, I think you can stop now.¡± I spoke shakily, but he didn¡¯t respond.

    I could feel his obsession with finding my limits take over, and he kept increasing the size of the water ball and keeping it in a perfect ball.

    Fin was trapped inside it, spinning around frantically and dodging the few moss balls that had gotten trapped in there.

    ¡°Echo enough! You¡¯re going to hurt Fin! Echo-¡±

    I couldn¡¯t bear the pain anymore and I curled into a ball.

    Echo finally snapped out of it.

    The dirt stopped spinning and returned to its rightful place in the ground, covering the gaping hole that had been left, and the water dropped roughly back into the pond.

    The pain slowly ebbed away. I breathed a sigh of relief.

    Sheepishly, Echo prodded at me, ¡°Sorry. I got excited trying to find your limits. It won¡¯t happen again - promise.¡±

    He took a seat on the side of the pond.

    Water splashed on his face, which ended up just passing through.

    An angry Fin popped up on the surface, swimming violently in figures of eight..

    Remorsefully he addressed Fin, ¡°Yeah, sorry to you too, Fin.¡±

    He turned back to me, ¡°Your pain tolerance is insane.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, try being beaten up every other day and you start being able to ignore it way better.¡±

    He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation before continuing on, ¡°There''s a bit more to my technique than this, but this is only the starting point. Now that you¡¯ve felt how the magic flows in you, how would you like to try your first spell?¡±

    ¡°Which one are we doing first?¡±

    ¡°Traditionally, it¡¯s done with a candle, but we don¡¯t really have one here-¡±

    We were interrupted by a few candles flying outwards aimlessly into the sky, and Fin doing acrobatic somersaults before landing in the pond again.

    Echo blinked slowly, ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s do it on the candles.¡±

    ¡°Will the water affect the spell?¡± I questioned, signalling to the candles?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± He assured me.

    I shook the water off the candles and set them all upright onto the flat portion of the pond wall.

    ¡°Magic is within the realm of thought, and will. The more you know about the process, the better the outcome. The more you want it to happen, the more likely it will occur. It takes more magic to go against the laws of the world than it takes to follow them. You know your modern day science right? Use that knowledge, your will of wanting to set these candles alight and practice controlling the flow of magic to light it on fire.¡±

    I stared at the candles.

    I stared at them harder.

    I tried flexing my invisible magic muscles.

    Echo snorted after reading my mind.

    Still nothing.

    ¡°Remember - you¡¯ve felt me pull that magic from you before. Try to push the magic out through your very pores.¡±

    I closed my eyes and breathed in. As I breathed out, I imagined my magic permeating my bones, my muscles and skin. It felt like a million needles piercing through my skin, and it really did feel like it.

    I winced.

    ¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s the flow of the magic you want. Now just do it at a less intensity and remember to light the candle.¡±

    I did as he said. I imagined a little ball of mana seeping through my skin and appearing at my fingers.

    I pinched the tip of the wick.

    With anticipation, fear and the longing of eighteen years, I gave my mana the very first command.

    Set alight!

    With a spark, a gentle glow emanated from the string, and a warm yellow flame grew to the size of my thumb.

    ¡°Congratulations, Ember Everett - you just did your first magic spell- Uh aren¡¯t you going to move your hand?¡±

    The pain finally registered and I yelped as I shook my hand, knocking the candles back into the pond.

    Fin shook in laughter and I sighed.