《The Last Witch》


 Im A Witch, Just Like You (Chapter 1)

    <h2>Chapter 1</h2>


    The night¡¯s rain doesn¡¯t hold back on him. Brandon watches from the roof of the two-story building as the woman finally comes out of the mini market. This woman is unknown to him.


    She is mostly covered, though her legs can be seen as she speaks to herself underneath her hoodie, making an attempt to rush out of heavy rain by speed walking. She can feel the cold regret on her legs of wearing shorts.


    ¡°Gosh darnit,¡± she tells herself. ¡°The one day I don¡¯t check the weather, and it turns out like this. All week it¡¯s been unbelievably warm. How can a warm night suddenly turn to this?¡±


    Brandon doesn¡¯t lose sight of her. The words that his grandfather left him with repeats in his mind. She is the last of our kind ¨C find her. Find her and the age of witches can be saved.


    He could only picture his grandfather sick in his medical bed in his room. He couldn¡¯t get that image out of his head when he thought about the man who raised him. This was the last scene he had in his head of the elderly witch.


    According to his grandfather, the woman he was looking for would have maroon coloring in her hair, just as Brandon did. Like himself, she was the other half of the magic circuit that could complete the False Bound Ritual.


    Obviously, he couldn¡¯t see her hair, due to the hoodie she was wearing. Though with careful concentration, he taps into his own mana to feel for her mana. If she truly was the one she he was looking for, her mana would expose her to him.


    There it was. He could feel it. A very low frequency of mana, but he could feel it. It was clear that she was trying to suppress her mana, though Brandon was gifted in his line of magic. He was extremely talented in his tracking abilities, overshadowing most witches that could also track other supernatural beings using their mana.


    Magic was believed to be nonexistent at this point, seeing as the race that relished in it, the linage of witches, were nearly wiped out. The same curse that killed Brandon¡¯s father¡­that killed Brandon¡¯s grandpa¡­had swept through all the witches that once roamed the earth. It came in the form of a disease to mortals, but the ones who perished to it, knew the mysterious plague to be a curse.


    Mortals simply shook it off as a cold. They would get sniffles, a sore throat, or even a slight fever. Nothing life threatening. They carried it first and paid nothing for it.


    Brandon leaps down from the roof, landing in a puddle that doesn¡¯t splash loud enough over the rain. The woman in front of him keeps going, strolling through the rain as she speed walks for cover. The two walk through an open area of the metropolis city. Brandon catches up to her, stopping her with a light grab to her shoulder. She quickly turns around.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The small amount of groceries nearly go out of her hand as she gets startled, Brandon puts his hands up in a surrendering motion.


    ¡°Whoa. My apologies. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ok.¡± She gathers herself. ¡°I just didn¡¯t think there would be anyone else crazy enough to be in this crap storm.¡±


    Brandon nearly freezes in place. He isn¡¯t sure what to say next. He stares at the woman who was getting slammed with the bad weather, unsure as to how to put what his grandfather told him, into words for her. They were strangers. He couldn¡¯t just ask her to come with him. To trust him. To partake in a ritual that could be life threatening, if done wrong.


    ¡°Do you believe that witches still exist?¡±


    Brandon comes up with this to say.


    The twenty-three-year-old woman seems stunned by his question. A look of confusion comes in between the two, as she pauses in place without an immediate response. She eventually pushes out a laugh. A short-lived low laugh.


    ¡°Is that your pickup line?¡±


    She obviously no longer takes Brandon seriously, though now he is the one confused, his facial expression showing misjudgment and a lack of understanding.


    The woman known as Ulysee walks off. Brandon stands in place, no longer knowing what to do. He spent most of his life training, he never had time to deal with girls. He wasn¡¯t a violent guy ¨C though he wasn¡¯t shy. He was simply puzzled at this point. He was watching the only person that could break the curse that would eventually wipe out the remaining witch existence, leave out of his reach. He balls up his fist and shouts, ¡°You¡¯re doing a piss poor job at suppressing your mana!¡±


    She stops at the sound of his voice. His words touch home.


    ¡°Even when it isn¡¯t raining, you hide your maroon hair stripe, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Like all witches, Brandon held a maroon coloring in his hair. The tips of his standing hair were covered in an effortless maroon, something that he was born with.


    He couldn¡¯t see it, but from her facial expression, she knew her cover was blown. Ulysee wants to touch her stripe but doesn¡¯t. The coloring of her hair that she has always wanted to get rid of, has always bothered her, even in grade school. Even in high school. It was so unusual and had always drawn attention.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She turns around to face him. Brandon doesn¡¯t hesitate to answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m a witch, just like you.¡±


    Brandon removes his hoodie, allowing the rain to pour down on his curly hair.


    ¡°I was sent here by my grandfather to look for you. You¡­sigh. You probably don¡¯t know him, but you were important to him. I mean¡­you¡¯re important to all of us. The future of our kind needs you.¡±


    Ulysee is once again confused. She wants to say something but doesn¡¯t know what to say. Brandon is about to continue, when suddenly¡­he feels it. A surge of mana spikes without warning. He could feel it in the distance behind him. He didn¡¯t have time to pinpoint exactly where, but the threat level was felt.


    Transferring mana into his feet as quickly as possible, Brandon¡¯s feet began to glow. A flaming blue radiation of energy nested underneath him, allowing him to quickly shift into a skating motion across the city streets. His speed was unusual by this point, closing the distance between the two within two successful blinks. Brandon makes contact with Ulysee, just as a bolt of red lightning strikes the area around them.

 Chapter 2: Red Lightning

    The red lightnings stretches in a straight line across the open street. The rain doesn¡¯t react differently to the attack.


    Brandon and Ulysee are seen behind taking cover behind a large building. The loud rain somehow blends the magic lightning attack, not drawing any sort of unwatched attention from the local residents in their homes.


    Both Ulysee and Brandon¡¯s hearts beat fast. Brandon barely manages to get Ulysee out of harm¡¯s way. He was sure the previous attack alone from the unknown assailant, would have been enough to take the woman he was now holding in his arms, down for the count. He would have once again watched his future die out.


    Brandon peeks around the building, making sure not to expose his cover. Ulysee stays in his arms, feeling the pressure of Brandon¡¯s heart match her own.


    ***


    Amneal stands in the far distance, on top of a roof in the rain. A seven-floor building is his choice of positioning, exhaling in light frustration as he speaks to himself.


    ¡°I missed.¡±


    The thirty-year-old man showcases a maroon coloring on his head as well, though his hair is not curly. His hair is extended, stretching down to the middle of his back a strong set of banes covering his left eye. His entire length of hair is maroon.


    ¡°The girl didn¡¯t seem to pick up my lightning arrow. If it wasn¡¯t for the man with her, my mission would have been completed. He has to die first.¡±


    ***


    ¡°What was that!?¡±


    Ulysee panics, finally speaking up. This quickly draws the attention of Brandon, forcing him to quickly cover her mouth before shushing her. He peeks back around the building.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give away our position.¡±


    Brandon¡¯s hand comes down from her mouth. Ulysee prepares her own magic. Blue rings form around her wrists, though Brandon speaks up again. This time, without looking her way, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    He adds more to his words of advice.


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t spotted the location of our attacker.¡±


    The pause in battle allows Brandon¡¯s mind to wonder. To return to the place it normally resides in. His thoughts gather in the section of his mind that holds on to the memories of his grandfather. He remembers another moment he has shared with his grandfather.


    ***


    A twelve-year-old Brandon stares off into the distance of a dark forest. His eyes bounce back and forth from between the trees. He struggles into the nothingness.


    ¡°Grandpa, I swear, nothing is there,¡± Brandon reports.


    His grandfather stands with high levels of patience. The nightfall¡¯s presence darkens what is already hidden from the eyes of the young pupil.


    ¡°You will not always be able to see things with your eyes, Brandon. Shut them off and concentrate.¡±


    ¡°Shut them off?¡± Brandon is confused.


    ¡°Close them.¡±


    Brandon does this without question. This was yet another lesson his grandfather made sure Brandon saw through. He continues to speak to his grandson.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You can¡¯t always rely on the destructive force of your powers to weed out your opponents. Concentrate. Feel for whatever is in front of you, using your mana instead of your hands. Walk forward and search without moving a single muscle.¡±


    A grey and black vison of the outlining of a humanoid creature appears in Brandon¡¯s mind. Within this vision appears the woods, with the woods being the same color, grey and black. The trees don¡¯t protect the creature as it did while Brandon¡¯s eyes were open. He pinpoints the monster¡¯s location exactly.


    ***


    Back to the present day, Brandon is shown with his eyes closed. His back remains against the building, with nothing to say. Ulysee doesn¡¯t interrupt, instead waiting for a reaction from him. A signal.


    Tapping deep within himself, Brandon sees in his mind a world that is in black and grey. The rain drops go silent. His eagle vision goes deeper in depth, stretching from his location to blocks away. An outlining of a man is seen on top of a tall building. The man holds a large bow with a crack of sparked energy in his palm, being charged as he waits for his targets to unveil themselves once again. Brandon¡¯s eyes slowly.


    ¡°Found you,¡± Brandon says softly to himself.


    Releasing Ulysee, Brandon is given space as he summons his own large bow, a black bow that doesn¡¯t maintain a solid form, but instead, flows with a black flame that takes the appearance of a bow. The flames are highlighted with a blue outlining, struggling to keep its form as the rain still showers without restrictions.


    The weather is terrible right now. He notes to himself. My powers won¡¯t be able to reach their potential in this.


    Brandon draws from a better idea. He sends his flaming bow away.


    Turning his back to Ulysee, Brandon drops to a knee. ¡°Get on my back.¡±


    Ulysee stands in place, unsure as to what will happen next. Brandon notices that she isn¡¯t moving.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± Brandon adds.


    Ulysee listens. Positioning herself on his back with her arms tight around his neck, Brandon wraps his arms around her legs, locking her in place. Ulysee reacts to this as well, slightly gasping as she can feel his grip on her. She tries to hide it, but her face turns slightly red again.


    The rain starts to get to her. Brandon can feel her shaking. He assumes it is the rain, as she wears small black shorts, allowing her legs to be attacked by the weather. This concern is quickly second to him, with the first being to get the two of them out of their attacker¡¯s targeting range.


    Brandon transfers mana back into his feet. He zips back into the city¡¯s main street with abnormal speed, skating as his feet no longer touch the ground, but rides the stream of magic underneath him. This to more advance witches, is known as Magic Skating. Another strike of lightning is instantly released.


    Unable to see the bolts of lightning come at him from behind, Brandon uses his mana sensory to pick up on the lightning attacks themselves. Nearing the last second, he moves out the way. Ulysee screams and tucks her face into Brandon¡¯s back.


    Staying focused, Brandon continues to Magic Skate through the city at high speeds. More rapid lines of red lightning begin to come after the two, forcing a continuous stream of screams that come from Ulysee. And even though she is so close to his ear, Brandon tunes out the noise that is coming from her.


    The magical attacks and their timing are getting closer, making it more difficult for Brandon to dodge them. I can¡¯t lose focus. He tells himself, taking a deep breath before exhaling as he slowly closes his eyes once again. He enters his mana tracing mode.


    The sky¡­the buildings¡­and the road, all become black and grey to him again. The bolts of lightning can now be seen in his blind spot, giving him three-sixty vision, as if he has eyes in the back of his head. His mana tracing now allows him to avoid the strikes of lightning more accurately. Ulysee slightly calms down, though her paranoid grip still shows fear.


    The streaks of lightning didn¡¯t seem to slow up. Even with the great levels of distance between them, the rapid large jolts attacked the area around them. Amneal is shown in the background, magic skating himself along the large buildings in the distance of his targets.


    His frustration was visible underneath his now placed hoodie. They¡¯re getting away. Amneal grunts at the thought of his own mental note. He¡¯s seeing the head start advantage the two have over him. He magic skates down a large building, changing his course of action. He takes an alternative route.


    The attacks of lightning ease up. Brandon no longer senses any incoming attacks. Though he keeps his eyes closed, unsure as to what was really going on. His instincts warned him to keep his guards up, and he did just that.


    Moving through the metropolis city, Brandon only gets so much further without being sought after, before he hears a scream that breaks his concentration.


    ¡°Look out!!¡± Ulysee warns him.


    His eyes open. Magic skating in front of them as he cuts the two off, Brandon sees what Ulysee sees ¨C their attacker being at a much closer range with a crack of lightning charging in his palm. The palm that wasn¡¯t holding the bow. Brandon was in mid motion ¨C he couldn¡¯t break his lane of travel.


    Amneal continues to travel sideways, making his way behind cover himself as he keeps aim on the two in front of him. He releases his charged attack.

 Chapter 3: I Knew The Rain Would Hinder Me

    Brandon and Ulysee go flying from the contact of the attack. Ulysee travels further through the air, with Brandon hitting the ground first, on his back. His body is shown struggling from continuous jerks as the red visible lightning travels up and down his body. Ulysee sees this, having landed on her side and injured her leg. Ulysee is shown scrunching in pain as she struggles to move from her side.


    Ulysee replays what happened, in her head. She feels herself relive the moment as she once again feels herself being launched through the air. But it wasn¡¯t by their oppressor. It was by Brandon. He took the brunt of the attack right before her eyes, as he sent her away with all his immediate strength.


    My leg is killing me. She notes to herself, looking down at her injured limb for a moment¡¯s top. She quickly places her focus back on the struggling ally of hers.


    But if he hadn¡¯t moved me away from him, I could have been in a much worse predicament. That¡¯s the only reason I didn¡¯t get struck.


    Amneal bypasses the immobilized Brandon, making his way to Ulysee. She quickly spots him and tries to get up, though the surge of pain is immediate and brings her back down. She wants to scream but holds it in.


    No, no, no. She notes to herself. This cannot be happening.


    Refusing to give up, she begins to crawl away. Amneal shows no rush to close the gap between them, instead, tormenting her with a steady paste.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Amneal continues to walk towards her. He pauses shortly after, the apology showing meaning in his voice. However, he once again draws his bow, charging a crack of lightning that breaks through the space in the palm of his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll concentrate enough mana into this one attack ¨C condensing the arrow enough that it will strike the direct spot I need it to hit. Your heart.¡±


    Ulysee looks back in moments of panic, continuing to crawl forward at a steady haste. Amneal continues to talk to her through the loud rain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make your death as painless as possible. This attack should kill you on the spot.¡±


    Ulysee makes another effort to stand up, this time nearly getting up without any problem. Though she drops to the ground once again. Amneal prepares to release his attack.


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    Brandon shouts through the rain at Ulysee, startling Amneal as his own arrow comes behind this stretching of his voice. The black flaming arrow travels with blue highlights of flames on the edges of it, making contact with Amneal just as he tries to turn around to face his previous opponent.


    There is a mid-sized explosion just as Ulysee listens to Brandon¡¯s callout, rushing an enchantment out just as the impact of the explosion manages to reach her. Her body is lifted off the ground and into a nearby parked car.


    Placing a large dent against the car, Ulysee bounces off the car and lands back on the ground ¨C her hands and stomach first. A radiating rainbow aura showcases itself around her body, protecting her from the impact of both the car and explosion in the nick of time. She feels safe for the moment.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The aura diminishes as she takes a moment to place her attention on the newly formed smoke cloud ahead of her ¨C she can¡¯t seem to see Brandon or the target anymore. However, the smoke fades and she can now see them both, with Brandon now standing up, face to face with the one that had been trying to kill her.


    ¡°That damage was mid-tier at best,¡± Amneal points out to Brandon, seeming unfazed by attack. ¡°You blew your only chance at winning this fight.¡±


    Brandon doesn¡¯t say anything back. Instead, he tries to maintain his composure, while making a mental note to himself in the meantime.


    Damn. I knew the rain would hinder me. That last move was a charged attack, and that was only mid-tier damage? No way.


    The aura veil around Ulysee is completely gone at this point. Her defensive spell ¨C one of the few beginner¡¯s tricks that all witches learn, can only be used one more time by her. She stands by to see when that time will be.


    Her mind quickly shifts, and she decides to make another run for it. She makes one more attempt at getting up, this time being able to fight through the pain. She moves at a slower paste, using the line of parked cars as leverage to get further down the street. Amneal pays no mind to this.


    Locked in with Brandon, Amneal and Brandon both quickly draw their bows and take shots. A series of close ranged explosions go off, with the explosions quickly traveling throughout the area, before two rifts of energy ride upward a fourteen-floor building, side by side each other.


    Magic skating along the tall residential, more explosions go off as the two are seen shooting magic arrows at each other as they make a B line towards the sky.


    Brandon is the first to reach out without using an arrow, getting close enough to punch through the space between them with a straight shot. Amneal cocks his upper body and head back, avoiding the attack.


    Amneal retaliates with an elbow that knocks into Brandon¡¯s chin, once again placing distance between the two. He then quickly aims his large bow at Brandon, letting off a quick shot that causes another explosion on the side of the building.


    A figure within a cloud of smoke is seen plummeting down the building, with Amneal coming out of the smoke on the opposite end, before diving off the building and racing back to the floor level of the street. Brandon fights against gravity, hitting the ground just in time as he manages to rotate back to his feet. The quickly fired shot from Amneal seemed to do bare minimum damage ¨C enough to throw him off.


    The two are now at a standstill, as the rain begins to calm down. Neither of them attempts another attack as they both breathe in heavy bursts.


    ¡°This battle could have been avoided.¡± Amneal speaks first. ¡°You are trying to save a girl that you clearly don¡¯t know ¨C versus someone that I hold dearly.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about,¡± Brandon makes his confusion obvious. ¡°I¡¯m not only trying to save this one girl, I¡¯m trying to save our entire race. The future of witches is at stake.¡±


    ¡°I care nothing about the future ¨C only the present,¡± Amneal backfires. ¡°And by killing the girl that you are allowing to get away, I will save the only thing in my future that I care about.¡±


    Amneal pauses for a moment, looking sharply into Brandon¡¯s eyes from where he stands.


    ¡°It is obvious that you have never had the life of someone you love on the line ¨C watching them as they wither away in front of you.¡±


    His words startle Brandon.


    ¡°I will kill that girl and collect her essence in order to save my lover¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Brandon ignores Amneal¡¯s recent remark.


    Brandon¡¯s demeaner changes.


    ¡°You have no idea what I have been through.¡±


    An image of Brandon¡¯s lifeless grandfather resting on his bed comes to mind. He quickly pulls himself together before he can fully fall apart.


    ¡°There is a better way to do this. To save the people we care about. We can simply¡­¡±


    ¡°I know about the ritual.¡±


    Amneal cuts him off.


    ¡°There¡¯s no certainty that that it will work. Versus my method - I¡¯ve seen it work.¡±

 Chapter 4: The Link Between...

    There is a brief stare down between the two. This stare down is broken when Amneal feels a break in his mana. The link between him and his lover begins to fade ¨C her lifespan is diminishing again. He needs to get back to her.


    An outlining of his blue mana radiates around his body, separating itself and forming a midair doorway as if it was its own entity. He looks back at the newly formed opening, knowing that his time on this side of town was now up. He could no longer battle Brandon or pursue Ulysee, even if he wanted to.


    He wanted to feel anger ¨C wanted to feel desperation. But instead, he felt obligated. His heart told him to get back to the sickened woman that was waiting back at their home. Their cabin.


    Amneal turns around and makes his way to the portal. He stops before heading directly through the magical air space.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the girl and her mana, the next time we see each other.¡±


    Amneal walks through, cutting off his physical presence from his previous opponent. Brandon watches as the newcomer he battled, leaves to a place unknown. His mana tracing couldn¡¯t even pinpoint where he was heading.


    The portal closes soon after behind him. Brandon turns away and strolls in the direction he last saw the woman heading in.


    ***


    The chapter shifts to Amneal, who appears to be walking through snowy lands, amongst tall mountains, in the background. These lands tend to give off a magical vibe, with Amneal feeling the link between him and his lover restoring. He already feels better because of this.


    Amneal reaches a cabin, still on the lower end of the edgy region. He enters the home, seeing a woman standing in the kitchen with a knife. She attempts to hold herself up using the counter in front of her, though she collapses shortly after.


    ¡°Niavi!¡±


    Amneal rushes over to help her. He reaches her in a hurry, holding her up as he meets her at floor level in the kitchen. She sweats in his arms, showcasing her extreme condition before his arrival. This is something she often did when her health took a turn for the worse ¨C which was more often than either of them would like.


    Amneal¡¯s eyes land on her pale skin, scanning her from visible head to toe. He seems to have returned directly on time, as moments later and her health would have been in a much more dangerous state.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she smiles in her weakened state.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep apologizing for something you can¡¯t help,¡± Amneal reminds her. ¡°I should have been back sooner. My task took longer than expected and my timer ran out.¡±


    Amneal holds Niavi against his chest for a moment longer, looking down at her as if he was going to lose her at any moment. He captured her image in his mind once again, as if he was storing a mental collage of photos of her. In loving memory¡­he never wanted to say.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been gone so long,¡± he tells her softly. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be sorry.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Amneal carries Niavi to her bed. He tucks her into the covers, with the early morning sky peeking through the window. The sun hasn¡¯t quite revealed itself yet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish prepping our meals. You just relax and worry about recovering.¡±


    Amneal notices her skin gaining its color back. He also spots her cold sweats going away. Niavi is recovering at a fast rate from Amneal¡¯s presence alone.


    It was the link that Amneal and Niavi shared that was keeping her alive. Amneal knew he couldn¡¯t be away from her for long periods of time because of this. A spell that allowed Amneal to share a constant supply of mana with Niavi, as the disease that Niavi had was some sort of mana deficiency disease. A curse better yet.


    ***


    Amneal brings the prepped bowls of vegetable stew into her bedroom ¨C a platter held them up as heavy levels of steam came from both bowls. He placed the bowls on the dresser first, bringing Niavi a cup of tea from the platter instead. She grips the cup from the handle, instantly blowing the liquid before taking a quick sip.


    ¡°Thank you so much for this,¡± Niavi tells him near instantly.


    Amneal is about to respond, but Niavi continues.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you.¡±


    Amneal stops himself before he can take another series of sips. Her words catch him off guard.


    ¡°Niavi, you aren¡¯t, and will never be, a burden. Please stop saying that.¡±


    This is deeply how Niavi feels ¨C being the sick one from just the mere distance of her and Amneal. It was worse than this before the spell that linked the two of them together, as it was almost an instant death sentence for her.


    Placing the trey of food on her legs, Amneal gives Niavi access to the food that she once started prepping. Enough of her strength had returned for her to begin eating. The more she ate and gathered her energy, the more he could feel his mana draining. She was getting better at a rapid rate ¨C Amneal often told himself that he had plenty of mana to spare. Though he knew this not to be one hundred percent accurate.


    The spell that Amneal used to bond the two together by mana, was taxing on him. He managed day by day doing this, as there was a limiter that allowed him to be able to sustain such magic. His use of magic was cut in half, making him only half as strong as he could be. And the further away he was from Niavi, the less strong he was. He could only reach the peak of his powers when he was within range of Niavi. He often compared this to a Wi-Fi signal ¨C the further he was from her, the weaker they both were.


    Niavi took a moment from concentrating on her food to smile at him. This was all he needed to get him through. All he looked forward to. Her closed mouth smile had placed another photographic image in his mind. Amneal left out of her room shortly after. It was nothing short of a miracle the amount of willpower he held to withstand such an ongoing spell and not show any signs of sickness. Or seatbacks. Or immobility.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the kitchen cleaning if you need me,¡± Amneal tells her on his way out. However, he stops himself before he can close the door behind him. He remembers something that he was so close to forgetting.


    Entering back into the room, he grabs her favorite novel off the mini bookshelf against the wall. He brings this to her, seeing the bookmark that was placed near the beginning of the book once again.


    This would be the third time this month she had started this book over. He notes to himself.


    Amneal places the food next to her just as she is nearing the completion of her bowl. She takes a big sip of her tea and Amneal walks out the room, this time closing the door behind himself.


    He leans his back against the door, tilting his head towards the ceiling as what he tried to hold in while he was in the room, finally comes out. Rivers of sadness slide down the sides of his face. Thin rivers.


    He¡¯s unable to imagine a world without Niavi ¨C all he wants her to do is get better. He brings his palms out in front of him, seeing a slight tremble in his hands. This was the first time he had felt such a thing ¨C though he held an idea as to what it was.


    It¡¯s taking longer for my mana to recover. He notes to himself. I¡¯m running out of time. At this rate, either I will die from mana exhaustion, and then Niavi will die, or I won¡¯t have enough mana to put into her, and she will die right before my very eyes.


    Amneal exhales before walking off. He continues his moments in life, one step at a time.

 Chapter 5: The Other Guys Plan

    Brandon catches up to Ulysee. She is seen sitting at the local train station on a bench. The rain had completely stopped by this point.


    Approaching her, he gets an immediate response.


    ¡°The train will get me home ¨C you don¡¯t need to follow me.¡±


    Ulysee hears herself out loud and retracts her statement.


    ¡°I mean¡­thank you. For protecting me. I have a few elixirs at home that can defend me if need be. I mean¡­unless you¡­killed the guy that you were fighting.¡±


    Brandon shakes his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. The guy left on his own choice. And I highly doubt that Elixirs will be enough to defeat him, as the two of us were equal in power.¡±


    Brandon pauses to think for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if I saw his complete arsenal of magic.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what he wanted?¡±


    ¡°Your mana.¡±


    ¡°My mana?¡±


    Brandon shakes his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the same reason on why I want your mana ¨C to save our futures.¡±


    Now unsure, Ulysee scoots further down the bench, away from Brandon ¨C even though he isn¡¯t sitting.


    ¡°So, I wouldn¡¯t be able to trust you either then, would I?¡±


    Ulysee loses eye contact with him, bothering her fingers as she waits for a response. Brandon doesn¡¯t give her one right away.


    ¡°I mean, what makes you wanting my mana, any different from the guy that attacked us, wanting my mana?¡±


    ¡°He plans to kill you,¡± Brandon gives off a quick response. ¡°I won¡¯t do such thing. To be honest, I¡¯ll simply link our mana to activate a powerful ritual. This won¡¯t harm me or you in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°And the other guy¡¯s plan?¡±


    ¡°To forcefully extract the mana from your body ¨C most likely killing you in the process. From what I saw though, when he directed his bow towards you while you were crawling away, he possibly can require your mana dead or alive. One can only assume you being dead will be a more pleasant feeling, versus him cyphering your mana while you are alive.¡±


    Brandon accomplishes what he was aiming for ¨C Ulysee can¡¯t hide the disturbing feeling on her face.


    Train pulls up shortly after, leaving Ulysee unsure what to do, as she now sits on the bench for a moment longer ¨C her line of sight now in her lap.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Brandon reaches his hand out to her.


    ¡°You should get going.¡±


    After only a slight moment¡¯s hesitation, Ulysee takes Brandon up on his offer. She takes his hand, and he aids her onto the train. Brandon is on his way back out the train, when suddenly, he feels something tug at his coat. It¡¯s Ulysee.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming with?¡±


    Her head is turned away as if she is experiencing some sort of shame. Brandon doesn¡¯t leave her waiting. He smirks and softly nods.


    ***


    Neither say anything during the train ride. They barely even look in each other¡¯s direction. But this isn¡¯t from tension. Brandon hadn¡¯t been this close to a girl in some time, though he attempts not to show it.


    The ride wasn¡¯t long. The train took them on a mostly linear route, bringing the two to a more urban community of houses and small buildings. An extended neighborhood of some sort. This region of town looked nothing like the previous region that they were previously in, with this side looking more of a settled area. Less lively than the metropolis area.


    Leaving the train station upon their stop, only a few directional words were said, all of these being from Ulysee of course. It wasn¡¯t until they approached a two-story mini apartment complex that anything else was said.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Ulysee points out as they approach a door on the second floor.


    The apartment complex only had one building. About twenty-four rooms max occupied this unit. And just like the neighboring streets, lights were on throughout the entire area. This could¡¯ve been due to the fact that it was now four in the morning ¨C one could only assume that people were preparing to go to work.


    ¡°You live so far away from the metropolis city,¡± Brandon notes. ¡°Why do you travel so far simply for groceries?¡±


    ¡°The upper east region has some of my favorite shopping centers, including the food markets. The local places don¡¯t sell many varieties of things.¡±


    Ulysee unlocks her door but stops with a sharp pain that goes up her injured leg. She shakes it off with another statement.


    ¡°Besides, I never had a problem with anyone trying to kill me before today.¡±


    She puts on a brave smile. Brandon can see right through her humor as he knows she is still in pain.


    The two enter her home. A studio apartment with a small hallway that houses the bathroom almost as soon as they walk in. Further down, her bed and a stove top area can be seen, as well as a multilayered shelf of food.


    ¡°Um, make yourself comfortable.¡±


    Ulysee limps down the short hall. There are items and belongings scattered through her small place, but she seems to know where exactly everything is. She immediately goes for an already fixed Elixir.


    Downing a blue mix of liquid in a clear bottle, Ulysee sighs as a sparkle of magic swirls around her leg. She easily shows relief soon after, now walking around the place without any sort of damage.


    ¡°Excuse the mess.¡±


    Ulysee makes her way to the shelf of food, while Brandon finds a spot in the corner, directly across from her bed, to sit in.


    ¡°Damnit. I was gonna cook that food that I was carrying when you found me. I guess a quick cup of noodles will have to do.¡±


    Brandon watches as Ulysee goes back and forth around her place, finding different things to do.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s late anyway.¡±


    She continues to talk out loud to herself occasionally. Within moments she grabs a candy bar and flops on her bed ¨C a stationed mattress on the floor. Brandon is surprised how occupied she seems to be, seeing as she was almost killed not too long ago. This was clearly all an act.


    ¡°So, what do we have to do next?¡±


    Ulysee takes a bite out of her candy bar.


    ¡°The real question is, are you willing to partake in the ritual?¡±


    This seems to peak Brandon¡¯s interest. He had been waiting for this answer since he approached her hours ago.


    ¡°Even if I wanted to say yes, you never quite explained the ritual,¡± She replied with her hand over her mouth as she chewed more on her candy bar.


    ¡°On top of that, we still have to look out for the witch that is after us.¡±


    Brandon knew that Ulysee was right about the ladder half of her statement. The other archery witch was out there. His skills were on par with Brandon during their battle. He would surely be back for another battle.

 Chapter 6: I Want To Continue Living

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the other witch.¡±


    Brandon shakes off Ulysee¡¯s last statement. He attempts to bring ease to the situation at hand.


    ¡°The only reason the battle was as close as it was, was due to the rain.¡±


    ¡°The rain?¡±


    ¡°My powers¡­my magic¡­it isn¡¯t as effective in the rain, seeing as my magic is infused with dark flames.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    Ulysee shrugs. Brandon goes on.


    ¡°I plan to have the ritual during a better day of weather, that way if our opponent does show up, I¡¯ll be more than enough to take him down this time.¡±


    ¡°And the spell, what¡¯s it like?¡±


    ¡°The ritual?¡± Brandon corrects her. ¡°I haven¡¯t done it before myself, but I¡¯ve witnessed it. It¡¯s completely harmless. It extracts all the mana out of a single host. There will be no sort of pain during this.¡±


    ¡°And why me again?¡±


    ¡°Your mana is special. It gives off a different frequency than other witches. The problem is the spell takes at least a couple of hours to complete ¨C requiring the chosen one to sit in the middle of the crafted pentagram, and remain still the entire time.¡±


    Ulysee looks unsure.


    ¡°But as I¡¯ve said, the spell is completely harmless. You won¡¯t feel a thing except maybe sleepiness. That is, once the ritual is done.¡±


    Ulysee pauses for a moment before speaking again.


    ¡°Can I ask you something else?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead,¡± he assures her.


    ¡°Who did you witness use this spell?¡±


    Brandon unconsciously freezes up from her question. His mind goes back to a place he often desires to leave behind. A single image appears in his head before he answers.


    ¡°My um¡­my father. He used this spell on my mother. It failed. He died shortly after.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The tone in the room shifts. There is gloom all around them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    Brandon shakes off this gloom.


    ¡°But that¡¯s how I know it¡¯ll work. I¡¯m not my father ¨C I won¡¯t make the same mistakes that he made.¡±


    Ulysee¡¯s sudden gloom isn¡¯t gone. The discussion has shown to drown her in even further concern.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through with this, you know.¡±


    The disappointment in Brandon¡¯s voice can¡¯t be hidden.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok if all of this is too much for you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She objects. ¡°I never really used my magic much anyway. I mean¡­I could never get a good grasp on it ¨C except for a few defensive spells. But¡­¡±


    Brandon waits for Ulysee to get the rest of her words out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I will feel knowing that I can no longer have access to any of my magic.¡±


    She looks down at her hands while saying this, the remains of her candy bar still in her palm. She eventually looks back up at Brandon, with a concerning look on her face.


    ¡°What will happen if I didn¡¯t partake in this ritual?¡±


    Brandon doesn¡¯t want to respond. He realizes the sacrifices that this woman he doesn¡¯t even know, has to suddenly make. It hits him hard, quickly trying to see himself in her shoes. He sighs before saying a word.


    ¡°The underlining curse that has wiped out so many witches before. Will eventually wipe us all out ¨C including you. Everything would just be a matter of time. This curse knows no limitations. It could my father and grandfather without mercy.¡±


    Going deeper into this part of his mind, Brandon relieves the darkened moments of his past. He speaks along the lines of these moments.


    ¡°There are symptoms you should look out for. Those who were infected first experienced white spots on the palms of their hands or their upper legs. Some of their spots even started around their stomach. The spots then spread until they have taken over the entire body, with the victims dying only a handful of days later. Three days max.¡±


    Ulysee suddenly stands up. She lifts her stretchable wet shorts only a few centimeters higher. Brandon turns his head in shyness.


    ¡°Is this the kind of spot you are talking about?¡±


    Brandon slightly turns his head to look out of the corner of his eye. He then slowly places both eyes on her, seeing the exact nightmarish spot he had seen before.


    The plagued spot was located on her upper inner thigh. Brandon¡¯s mouth slightly hangs from the sight of this. It¡¯s clear to him that she¡¯s already infected. Ulysee covers the spot back up.


    ¡°I thought it was some sort of Abnormal bruise or something,¡± she informs him.


    Brandon is still too shocked to say anything. The one person that could change the fate of their existence, was already marked for death. They were already playing with borrowed time at this point. There wasn¡¯t much for him to say. Still, he managed to conjure up something.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only about the future of witches anymore¡­¡±


    Brandon pulls himself back together.


    ¡°It¡¯s about your life as well. Your life is on the line a lot sooner than expected ¨C you¡¯ve already been cursed. This was something that was going to happen to you eventually, you¡¯re just dealing with it sooner than later.¡±


    His words sank into Ulysee. She closes her eyes for a moment as if she is digesting the thought of what was to come.


    ¡°Then it sounds like the choice is already made for me.¡±


    Ulysee puts her candy bar aside, refusing to eat any more of it.


    ¡°I want to continue living.¡±

 Chapter 7: He Might Not Be Your Only Threat

    The night eases away and the sun is starting to rise. Brandon has given Ulysee two hours to herself, as she has been lying on her side without any signs of true rest. It was obvious that his acknowledgement to her death mark, had attacked her on a mental scale.


    Brandon makes a statement.


    ¡°Does this normally happen?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You being restless.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Her voice sounds emotionally drained.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always had insomnia,¡± she added. ¡°Though tonight¡­tonight I know exactly why my insomnia is acting up.¡±


    Brandon gets the hint.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But this is the future of all remaining witches. Even the other witch we faced last night hinted at someone close to him, going through the same thing. Even if I wouldn¡¯t have gotten to you in time, this is a fate I will have to face as well. ¡±


    Ulysee simply listens as she lies with her back facing the wall and her head resting against her pillow.


    ¡°If you would have said no to the whole ritual, then I would have gladly accepted my future ahead. I would have lived my life to its fullest during those times, and then¡­¡±


    Brandon hesitates to finish his sentence.


    ¡°Hm. I would have been reunited with my grandfather soon after.¡±


    ¡°Did you witness your grandfather¡¯s death from this curse?¡±


    ¡°Every stage of it. One day he was healthy, and then another day he could barely maintain standing on his own.¡±


    Ulysee gives Brandon time before saying anything else.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak on your father as much as you speak on your grandfather?¡±


    This is simply another question Brandon hesitates to answer. It¡¯s to the point that he doesn¡¯t want to answer this question. Still¡­he does.


    ¡°My father was never really around. My grandfather raised me.¡±


    Ulysee has no further questions for him. Her sympathetic facial expression shows this.


    ¡°You should get some rest now ¨C the sun is coming up.¡±


    Ulysee lightly grunts, fixing her mouth to respond.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared to go to sleep now.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I can assure you that I will be here with you. You can sleep without worry ¨C I won¡¯t let you perish.¡±


    She nods, with her face slightly lighting up. Ulysee softly closes her eyes, as if she was waiting for Brandon¡¯s assurance. He thinks nothing of it at the moment.


    ***


    Brandon slept for two hours before waking back up. It couldn¡¯t be no later than seven or eight in the morning, though he couldn¡¯t go back to sleep.


    He watched Ulysee sleep, sitting in the same corner across from her, that he once rested in. I wish there was another way. He told himself.


    No witch should live without their magic, believing that this was like stealing a witch¡¯s identity. He knew all of this. Still, the risks of not taking away Ulysee¡¯s magic outweighed her way of living. Brandon knew he was doing this for a greater future. But this didn¡¯t stop the high level of guilt he felt.


    There was a nearby location that he saw on the train. A smile diner of such. His mind was made up. He would go get them both breakfast and two cups of coffee.


    Brandon wasn¡¯t quite sleepy. He had survived off less. He left the apartment, leaving Ulysee alone. He made sure to be as quiet as possible, trying his hardest to avoid waking her.


    ***


    More time passes, though still in the morning. Ulysee does wake up, but it isn¡¯t too soon. Her head immediately scans the small room, not seeing Brandon.


    ¡°Brandon?¡± She calls out.


    She hears nothing in response.


    From her bedside she can see that the bathroom light is off, and the door is open. She knows now that her supposed ally is gone.


    ¡°I knew I couldn¡¯t trust him,¡± she says aloud to herself. ¡°What did he take?¡±


    Ulysee gets up and begins to search her place. She sees nothing out of the ordinary but searches anyway. She wants to reveal something negative at this point.


    ¡°He lied to me.¡± She continues. ¡°He said he would be here when I woke.¡±


    She stops to assess her reality. She flicks the bathroom light on before slowly turning it off. Her sadness takes over in the form of her voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s said he wouldn¡¯t let me perish.¡±


    Her words sink in deeper, and her mind begins to fight back at her last statement. She starts to second guess the situation, wanting to believe in a better reason.


    ¡°Maybe something else happened to him. Maybe¡­maybe he went out for a walk or something, or sensed a threat nearby, and was attacked.¡±


    All outcomes Ulysee had come up with, only deepened her depression. She headed back to her bed, not knowing what else to do. But before she could reach her bed, the front door behind her opened. She turns around, only to see Brandon entering the home, with a bag of food and two sealed coffees, stationed in a cup holder. She struggles to contain her excitement.


    ¡°Breakfast?¡± He holds the bag up.


    The two sit on her bed and eat together. During the silence of them eating, Brandon speaks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being gone when you woke up. I know I told you I would be here, and I was trying to hurry back before then. I didn¡¯t want to use magic though in this small town and draw any unwanted attention.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand. In fact, i¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not going to lie, I thought the worst. But to see that you only stepped out to get us breakfast¡­¡±


    Ulysee almost hesitates.


    ¡°Was really sweet.¡±


    Brandon slightly smiles.


    ¡°All is forgiven. I know there¡¯s a lot on you at the moment. I don¡¯t expect your mind to maintain any form of stability.¡±


    Brandon halts eating his food. He seals it up and speaks once again, only having eaten a fourth of his plate.


    ¡°Actually, I thought of something while I was out. I want you to be able to protect yourself, just in case I didn¡¯t come back.¡±


    Brandon¡¯s caution doesn¡¯t sit right with Ulysee. He notes this but goes on.


    ¡°Not to say that I ever won¡¯t come back, but until the ritual takes place, I want you to learn more effective magic. More offensive magic.¡±


    ¡°Against the witch you faced? Do you think I can even¡­¡±


    ¡°He might not be your only threat. Just because witches are nearing extinction, doesn¡¯t mean that there aren¡¯t other forms of danger out there. People alone are dangerous. There is also still the presence of mystical creatures. Just because you haven¡¯t run into anything, I have. They are hidden. Scared. Just like witches. We are minimal in this day and age.¡±


    Ulysee nods.


    ¡°Ok.¡±