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I hear the jingle of keys and turn to find my father with the very keys I was searching for like a mad woman just moments before.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDXhpSrKxM
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"If you had them then why do I have to search like..." I pause the sensation of deja vu takes over me.
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"Because you didn't ask?" My Father replies like he always replies. I turn on the spot and make my way towards the door. As I walk through the entry the last thing I hear is a confused "Willow?" Before I'm full sprint down the sidewalk wildly rounding corners until I'm standing at the opposite end of the sidewalk to the bus stop. The well-dressed man stood waiting as usual. I begin my walk towards him alone this time, reaching the ally that separates us and pausing for a moment.
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"Meow!" Comes from the dark alley taking my focus from the man at the bus stop. I searched the darkness waiting for my eyes to adjust as they do I can make out a black cat sitting next to a dark figure. I focused harder unable to make out what I was seeing. The dark figure seemed to be someone sitting in a crouch burying their head deep within their arms and legs. As the scene took more and more of my focus I began to hear a whispering from the figure a singular sound I wasn't able to understand. The whispers grew in number all of them repeating this unintelligible word until it was deafening I tried harder and harder to focus and I could finally make out what the figure was saying.
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"HIDE!" Upon the realization, I feel a grip around my neck and my feet leave the ground I struggle against the well-dressed man, he looks me over as I gasp for air.
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"Where is the man?"He plainly states not loosening his grip.
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"He had been a nuisance protecting you, I guess his soul finally dissipated." His voice seemed to be underwater as every gasp of air became harder. It seemed hopeless until his grip loosened when we heard the sound of a growl from the alley. The black cat was now prowling at the edge her eyes narrowed daggers and two tails flicking in anger. That is when I remembered.
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I grip the arm of the hand holding my neck with a crushing grip forcing him to let go but I kept my grip tight. My feline form from earlier was back joined by a rage that had been stoked.
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"My Father! What do you know about him!" I demand from the nightmare. I watch as sick fascination and intrigue wash over him.
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"So you're that old thing daughter that makes more sense." He replies dismissing my question and allowing a twisted laugh to escape him. The laugh only fueled the rage further I tighten my grip and spun resulting in a satisfying snap of bone that brings him to his knees, yet the laughing didn't stop.
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"ANSWER ME!" I demand my voice booming through the city streets causing the buildings to bend and the ground to crack. At first, it startled the well-dressed man but the laughing began again. He was insane purely just a monster and pleading with him only gave him joy. I had reached my limit, I raise my hand focusing all my energy and hate into a ball of destruction that slowly grew.
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"ha ha, what are you doing? Don't you know where we are what that'll do?" I ignore his question forcing more energy into the ball of death above me. This changed his expression drastically he began to plead and beg but it fell on deaf ears.
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"Okay alright! Little Monster I'll tell you where your father is." I didn't stop the growth of the ball just waited silently for his answer. He seemed pensive his eyes darting left to right like a caged animal the fear finally getting to him.
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"Your Father_________" Again I had to read lips but my ears refused what it was being told. Laughter filled the air but this time it didn't escape the well-dressed nightmare. The torment was too much the madness in every corner of this city made me sick so I'll erase it all every inch. The orb grew with my laughter the wilder it became the more willing I became to slip into madness. The man joined in my laughter fueling my fiery. The orb reached a weight I could not bare anymore and I was glad it would all be over.
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_______
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"Willow!" I hear pulling me to consciousness. I feel heavy as the fog slowly lifts from my mind. My body aches and my head is pounding. Quickly I search my surroundings for the voice that called out to see, on the street below Kairo and Emily watching me in horrified panic. I seemed to be above the rooftops and below was a young Polidori I recognized from earlier. Sharp pain in my arm made me look to realize I was holding a new weapon and above it was an impossible amount of contained explosions. The orb's weight buckles my arm.
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"KAIRO NOW!" I hear from Radney above as instructed Kairo swaps everyone's locations. I feel a pull in my lower back and feel the world snap away and reappear. I was now lying on a rooftop looking up at Radney who held the ball of death. With all his might he pushed it upward. I hear a pained scream come from above the ball of magic ascending into the clouds. Polidori tried using his blade to slow the ball but was too injured to fight against its force he pushed against it his hand being scorched by the heat building at the surface level.
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We watched as it broke the cloudline Radney sure it had finally reached high enough formed his spear in hand throwing it with all his might piercing the orb and setting it off. The clap shook the Velvet district for miles and shattered windows as it ran. The sky was filled with a bright light and cleared of all clouds the pressure of the explosion flattened me against the roof. I barely could keep my eyes open but glimpsed a figure come careening into the facility. That figure was Radney he had crashed into the blood-filled glass Vats shattering them and being skewered by the shards.
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Everything began to settle and I made it to a sitting position. Kairo and Emily appeared in front of me. Emily charges me tackling me back into the prone position. "Thank you." I hear her say as I hug her back tightly.
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"The bet was won Willow Frapcious day!" I hear from Rugosa followed by a satisfied purr.
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"A strength for courage..." Rose adds her tone holding joy but also a tinge of disappointment.
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"What was the bet anyway guys?" They both hesitate to answer, but Rugosa is the first to reply.
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"My portion of the wager was that you would fight and win and if so Lady Rose would have to be more compliant to your needs... While hers was you would need saving and would do nothing to protect yourself or others..." She paused again refraining from finishing the terms of the agreement.
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"And what did Rose want if she won?" Rugosa was quiet I could feel her recoiling from the question.
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"Your body." Rose states matter of factly. Hurt was the first thing I felt as I got defensive but the cold truth deadened any of that flame. If I were to perish so would Rugosa and I'm not sure what would happen to Rose but what I was sure of is they valued their existence and would protect it even if I wasn't willing to do so for my own.
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"Well, good thing I won then!" I say trying to force my most exuberant reply.
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"Alright alright everyone's alive and we need to go check on Radney's bat shit crazy ass and heal everyone's injuries." Emily acknowledged him releasing me from her death grip. Her face seemed sad and I wondered what she was thinking right then I felt a pressure in the center of my forehead again as I focused on Emily.
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"I'm sorry." I hear echo outward from Emily.
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"What are you sorry about Emily?" I ask confused about how I was even hearing that. This to surprised Emily she averted eye contact I could feel guilt oozing from her mind.
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"I didn't realize you were a Vampyr and because I died you had to adopt me into your family and I swear I won't be a burden." She pleads bowing her head for forgiveness.
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"Princess..." Kairo placed his hand on her shoulder trying to console her.
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"I'm not a vampyr Emily and I don't even know how to adopt you..." This made Kairo and Emily exchange looks of confusion.
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"But you used transference your blood brought her back to life and completed her transformation." Kairo said searching my face for any form of recognition.
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"What do you remember Lady Willow?" Emily asks concern worming its way onto her brow. I pause and search my mind for the answer that I wasn't really sure of.
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"I remember fighting a young Polidori... Then he became old and I watched him bite Emily and then everything went Red..." I say unease and heat filling my chest.
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"You must have let Rose take over." Kairo adds.
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"No! Lady Willow wasn't conscious but she wasn't being possessed when I awoke she was calling out not Rose or Rugosa!" Emily interjects adamantly.
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"Wait you know Ru- before I could finish the heat from my chest earlier erupts into a full flame.
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"i-I'll ki-kill you ALL!" Emily and Kairo spin in horror at the sound of Polidori's voice. He was slowly reappearing behind them as a camouflage illusion faded away. His right arm was missing and a chard fragment of bone jutted wildly from blackened meat. The flesh on the right side of his face had been torn free exposing teeth and creating a permanent blackened grimace. His left hand held a syringe jabbed into his neck that contained a writhing purple liquid. We watch as Polidori pumps the liquid into his body triggering the flame in my chest to grow unbearably.
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The three of us watched on in horror as this monster mutated and shifted. Black tendrils burst from his lost limb grasping wildly at the air. His skin turned rotten as steam seemed to come off of his shrinking muscles rows of teeth shatter and break being replaced by fangs while nails pop free to give room to talons. Kairo was spent he had moved everyone too many times and was running on E while the burning in my chest cripples me. We were trapped as this gangly beast shambled toward us.
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"Focus Willow, I'll handle the burning you use our shadow to create something to protect us!" Rugosa commanded instantly the heat became bearable again. As I get to my knees and touch my shadow, nothing happened.
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"What do I do nothing is happening!" I call to Rugosa with no reply.
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"I believe she wants you to summon an Alter Image using your shadow Lady Willow!" Emily interjects again implying that she can hear Rugosa now.
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"Okay, how!?" Panicly escaped my lips noticing the shambling beast get closer. Kairo not knowing what else to do puts himself in the way and applies Slow to the beast that effortlessly fights against it.
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"Hurry!" He demands holding tightly to the snarling abomination.
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"You have to concentrate give form to your shadow imagine something to protect you something strong and fierce." As she says this a vision flashes in my mind directly drenching me in embarrassment. I could also tell Emily had glimpsed something as her cheeks blushed.
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"That'll do." I hear with a purr as energy surges again from behind my eyes and down my arm into my shadow summoning a humanoid figure to burst from within. Kairos power had completely waned and the monster was in full charge. He felt something zip by him jumping between them before the aberration could attack. A shadow figure had appeared landing a devastating blow punching through its chest and staggering it back. Kairo couldn't make out any features but from the build and magic, he would have sworn it was Salem. The monster gathered itself preparing for another charge.
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"Quickly you must produce a flame as hot as mine I'm too busy with Rose!" Rugosa pleaded her voice sounding as if she was wrestling something. Another image flashed in my mind of Salem breathing flames deep into the beast who threatened my life rendering it nothing more than ashes.
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"An honest owner I have found." Rugosa says playfully.
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The heartless creature begins its charge and lunges at the shadow figure, but before it could have landed a hit the shadow's maw opens and a plume of dark red flames leap out engulfing the creature whole. A few moments of spit flames pass before the shadow stops. Flames dissipate to reveal a charcoal Polidori stuck in place. The sound of crackling flesh filled the evening sky the horrible stench of burnt meat assaulted their noses. Everyone's body had finally released its tension now that it was over. The heat in my chest slowly died away.
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"i-i'll... Kill..." The sound escaped the lipless mouth of the blackened skeleton plunging ice picks into everyone's spine. The hole in Polidoris' chest started to fill with purple tendrils attempting to weave it shut.
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"MINE!" I hear thunder in my head as the flame in my chest engulfs my body. The Alter Image I summoned bursts and takes the form of a giant mouth swallowing Polidori whole and receding into my shadow, as it does the flame subsides instantly.
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"I apologize Willow I couldn't stop her from eating that foul substance." I hear from a disappointed Rugosa.
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"What the actual FUCK was that? Willow?! Care to give us a hint love?" Kairo paused after what I hoped was a rhetorical question, but as the silence grew intolerable I realized it wasn't.
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"What!? How the hell would I know!?" I replied frustrated with all of today.
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"I found out I have multiple personalities! I fucking adopted a cat, a bird, and a child! And I'm pretty sure I just ate the skeezy vampyr guy..." I spew emotions a little raw and worn out making it to my feet to look Kairo in the eye. I had planned to stand my ground but felt dizzy from standing too quickly. Kairo catches me before I fall and holds on to me.
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"Sorry fair point." He admits his tone and vibe softening.
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"A little help?" We hear from a raspy voice below. Joy flooded me learning he had survived. We all make it to the edge to be greeted with the ghastly image of Radney impaled by enormous shards of glass.
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"Yeah, we'll be right down... You daft fuck." Kairo replies cordially to my horror. We all make our way safely down to Radney.
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"Could you be a little quicker?" He coughed out through mouths full of blood.
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"Yeah Yeah keep your shirt on mate." Kairo takes his time climbing the broken Vat. While I looked to see if at least Emily was as disturbed by these events as me but to my further horror she had pulled out her phone to check notifications. I was beginning to believe that Magic only made you jaded or maybe I was too sensitive. Kairo makes it to Radney harshly and quickly yanking him free and tossing him to the grown. I rushed over to him terrified he would die of his injuries years of medical training kicked in as I demanded supplies.
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"No need love he'll be fine." Kairo says callously. I looked to Emily who was replying to text furiously disregarding any of the crisis at hand.
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"i-i'm not gonna make it... May I make one request?" Radney admits through spurts of coughing. I lean in to hear his request. Slightly embarrassed by what was said but I obliged planting a kiss on his lips. I watch as life essence pours from him and his eyes grow heavy then shut, he was gone. Tears threatened my eyes as I looked for consolement from the others but instead saw bored expressions on everyone's faces.
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"What is wrong with you people!?" I scream as I do I notice tiny golden threads pulling together open wounds and suturing them shut. Before long all the wounds are healed and his eyes flutter.
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"Radney dies once a day occasionally more but at least once a day." Kairo says his tone filled with disdain and disgust.
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"He asked you for a dying wish didn't he?" Kairo asked glaring at Radney who now was fully conscious.
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"I'm alive? IM ALIVE!? Willow, it's a mircl- I end his one-man show by plunging my blade deep into his gut and removing it quickly. He rolls around on the floor pleading for help ultimately bleeding out again and reviving while I join everyone with my now also bored look.
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"Right, so what's the situation?" Radney says making it to his feet trying to manage a serious tone. We all ignored him trying to figure out who would check on the children in the farm and who would see what was left not in shambles to gather clues from.
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"Come on guys I want to help... I died twice." Radney says trying to enter the circle we had created.
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"You earned that second one id say ya old geezer." Kairo said with his nose turned upward.
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"Dirty old man I'm telling Lily everything." Emily said furiously sending messages on her phone.
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"Wait Em don't tell Lils please, hold on." Radney pleaded on his knees to Emily.
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"Anyway me and Willow will tend to the farm since we have the most medical knowledge you and Em will look for whatever you can about this place and Polidori's goals." Kairos' serious switch reminded me of being at work I searched my pockets hoping to find a ponytail and sure enough one was there I put my hair up and begin checking each teen. A pattern I soon notice is these were teens all in the high school age range and if it wasn't a mixed breed therian it was black-eyed children and humans who I couldn't understand why they would be there.
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We freed them from the pumping device that was siphoning and or pushing in this dark purplish liquid. I couldn't help but notice my stomach growl at the smell of the purplish ambrosia. I feel Rose stir in me but I ignore it releasing the final teen from this twisted system. "There's no telling how many we've killed..." I hear Kairo mumble to himself nearby assisting his last child.
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"What do you mean?" I feel that same forehead pressure before the image of the creatures crawling from the factory's innards appears. My attention then snap to some of the teens who seemed to have been here longer some had begun losing hair and becoming gaunt similar to the creatures we fought earlier. Guilt sunk my stomach but I could tell it wasn't coming from me.
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"Don't do that... You do something good for the sake of doing good the outcome normally harms no one, when you do good to undo the evil of others that's when things can become messy." I offer my bitter-sweet viewpoint of tragedies, you see a lot working in an emergency room so it's hard not to try and see where your control ends and begins.
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"Thanks, I appreciate that, but that's not what's worrying me, the Devils Advocates full members have to follow a set of rules that act more like curses or a hex, we can't kill unless a vote is called and agreed upon by a majority or if death is assured, but that only applies to people or creatures with the ability to communicate similar to your summons... Mutated or not the curse should have known." Kairo's tone was heavy with concern as his brow bent in frustration.
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"Hey if everyone's fine down there we got something!" Radney called from the hole on the second floor.
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The teens were heavily sedated and it would take some time to move them or for them to wake so we made sure to undo their restraints and head towards Emily and Radney. We make it back to the surveillance room. We make it through the threshold to find the room empty and devoid of an Emily or Radney. Kairo glances at the window he exited without realizing, wondering where he was sent during the fight while I searched the room for the others. "Where the hell did they go?" I question frustrated with my fruitless search.
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"Over here!" We hear from Radney compelling us both to spin and look for him. The voice had come from one of the walls of the room where a floating Radney head was protruding through it. We made our way over as he dipped his head back into the solid wall. Kairo gave me a "This is gonna be cool to you." kinda look before stepping through the wall leaving me on the other side. "Nine and a three-quarters shit!" I whisper yell to myself discovering even more joy in magic. I hold my hands outward as I make my way toward the illusion passing slowly through.
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On the other side was a dimly lit room with filing cabinets lining a wall and a desk in the center of the room covered in loose papers, but what caught my attention was a wall of faces, pictures taken of teens, and judging by the backgrounds they were all over the city some in places I was familiar with others must have been of districts I hadn't seen yet. "We found some documents, it seems Polidori was having the stuff he was pumping into those kids analyzed meaning he wasn't the head of this snake." Radney hands Kairo a leaflet that he flips through while I focus on the photos and strings attaching them to the wall.
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Eventually, I see a photo of a familiar face that grips me with horror, it was my own and the photo was of me not too long ago near the bus stop close to the hospital. My stomach dropped and I felt fear pressing into my chest. I searched the photos harder recognizing what I was looking for now was an image of my father but to my disappointment, not a single photo showed him. I in frustration rip my photo from the wall and watch as it immediately catches flame destroying the information in a self-contained inferno. I watched in horror as a chunk of information just turned to ash. "Alright don't touch anything else and let the clean-up crew handle it." Kairo said placing a file back in its filing slot slowly.
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"At least got that one." Radney added pointing to the photo in my hand. I offer it as an apology for ruining the wall. Radney analyzed the photo realizing why I ripped it down, as he did I could now see the back of the picture had 'ETHEREALLY PROTECTED' written on it.
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"What's ethereally protected mean?" I ask wishing we could glean anything from that.
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"It means your Ethereal form was safeguarded by someone or something, but this existed before you experienced magic..." Kairo said peeking over Radney's shoulder.
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"Shit if we have people hunting for Ethereal forms this may be bigger than the districts it might even involve the three Realms."Radney added with a slight tone of frustration I wasn't sure anyone else noticed.
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"Have you found any clues about Clown?" Kairo asked reminding us of his original goal. "I'm right fucking here." We hear in response to his question setting us all on edge looking for the origin.
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"Wait you guys really can't see me?" The voice asked now sounding genuinely concerned. I spin to where I think the voice came from behind me to see a shimmer of light in the corner of the room.
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"You do see me!" The voice said prompting me to move closer to the shimmer everyone else watched from their place in the room as I slowly reached my hands out to the shimmering of the corner. When I made contact it was cold and metallic that aroused my senses. From the point I touched outward the shimmering starts to dissipate and reveal a locker about the size of a human. I could see through the three metal slits a face staring back at me.
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"Well!?" We hear from inside the locker springing Radney into action he summons his spear aiming at the padlock keeping the locker shut and swiftly breaking it. The locker swings open and a boy around Emily's age tumbles out. Jet black hair sat around a cracked mask too destroyed to hide his purplish eye whose pupils somewhat seemed to narrow similar to a goat at the sight of me.
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"Gil!" Emily exclaims rushing to his side on the floor. Tears threatened her eyes as he sits up slowly, he had been badly beaten his clothes were in ruin and the Clown-like mask he wore had cracks revealing bits of his face. He struggled to an upright position leaning against the nearby wall giving enough room for Emily to wrap herself around him.
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"Alright Em I'm alright can't kill the Clown." He says with a cheerful tone I heard hiding pangs of pain. He said they had beaten him daily without giving him too much time to rest in between He went on to explain no one except Polidori could enter this room until we had appeared. He spent most of the time wondering what day it was stuck standing in that locker.
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"I hope I didn't make you and Lily worry too much." He managed while looking Emily over and realizing something was different.
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"Your hair... and your heart it's barely beating." I could hear a fire in his voice.
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"I thought we agreed we would wai-
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-You're the one who didn't answer his phone and we couldn't connect to you through..." Lily slowed her interruption side eyeing Radney.
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"You're the one who wasn't reachable through soul-link me and Lily tried! She's been on a rampage looking for you it's been a mess..." She communicated silently to Gil I was sure now me and Emily were connected and she also must have remembered as a panicked "Please Lady Willow don't tell." Invading my mind. I confusedly agreed not sure what there was to tell. "What's your connection to Emily." I hear from the boy in the Clown mask, his tone was so serious I couldn't help but smirk.
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"I have joined Lady Willows Familia..." Emily admits helplessly, a mix of fiery and surprise seeped through the cracks in Gils' mask.
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"We were supposed to find a way to make our own Familia..." Gil thought to us sorrow in every word.
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"It wasn't planned!" I say out loud forgetting that this was a silent conversation.
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"Hey! It's rude to just be talking to each other." Radney said over our shoulders reminding us we weren't alone in the room.
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"Sorry Em I made you worry and I wasn't there to help... We need to get out of this room it has a siphoning effect on magic and also doubles as a Sandemanian Cage." Gil informs the room which only seems to trigger Kairo's anxiety.
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"A Sandemanian Cage bloody fuck we need to get out of this room before it locks down." Kairo adds making a B line towards the door.
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"Wait! I'm not leaving until Lady Willow here makes a deal with me." Gil said his eyes locking with mine.
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"I don't have time for you to be playing as your dad child the day has been long and I'm ready to go." Kairo said managing the sternest voice he could standing in the threshold. Gil didn't acknowledge him never taking his eyes away from mine.
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"Hear him out." Radney adds to Kairo's surprise.
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"Appreciate that Rowdy." Gil chirps earning a kick from Radney.
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"Don't fucking call me that and just make the bloody fucking deal." Radney's tone was serious and Kairo could tell this was another secret he was holding.
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"What did the Fates show you Lonan." Kairo demanded, but Radney ignored him waiting for Gils' deal.
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"Willow I'll only leave this room with you all if you agree to put your name in as one of the successors of the Black District." Gil proposed even though I couldn't see his face I could hear the devilish smirk Joker handed down to him. Another offer to join or take something I wasn't sure of all within the same day, it was becoming exhausting.
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"I refuse I wasn't here for you and I'm still not I don't care if you leave this room and I don't need to be the successor of the Black District." As my resolute words left my lips I felt my heart drop to my feet a feeling I wasn't expecting with how sure I was to refuse.
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"Please Lady Willow I beg you take the offer." Emily said now in the lowest of bows surprising not only me but Gil as well.
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"Have you lost your fucking minds we don't have time for these games Gil! And there's no reason to offer her that!" Kairo said panic flooding his tone.
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"It's not a bad deal kid." Radney adds further surprising the rest of the room.
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"Lonan!?" Kairo had crossed the room slamming Radney into the wall.
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"Kairo you just need to trust me..." That is all he replied in defense.
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"Go ahead kid make your decision." Radney said to me again ignoring an angry Kario. Dumbfounded by the situation I was in again, forced to make decisions I knew little of. I couldn't feel any different but I could tell the magical siphoning was getting to Emily.
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"Fine." I say begrudgingly seeing again that goatish excitement flash across his face.
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"Thank you." He raises a hand outward to shake. I hesitantly reach out grasping his hand and attempting a quick release but found a death grip instead.
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"Let! Go!" I struggle against his strength but fail, I watch as a dark tattoo appears on the back of his hand and as tendrils shoot from it and crawl their way to mine finding the adjacent spot and drilling into my skin until we both shared the same image. As the tendrils finished and returned to their home his grip released and besides a slight soreness I was fine. I feel my phone vibrate with a notification I quickly retrieve it from my pocket to see the Pulse app updating. On completion, I receive another notification stating "ACCESS to the Black District granted." I look at the mark on my hand and watch as it fades away.
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"Welcome to the Dark District Lady Willow." Gil says struggling to his feet.
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"What was that Mark?" I ask frustrated with another internal invasion.
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"It means similar to you and Emily we're thicker than blood and you are gonna have a whole new host of responsibilities." He adds with a laugh making his way to the door, at first anger gripped me until I felt Emily grip my hand.
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"Thank you so much I promise you won't regret it, Lady Willow." She added as joy showed in her eyes.
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"You can just call me Willow and I hope you're right." I said rubbing the spot on my hand.
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"Ah she won't regret it, heck it'll be fun! She'll have a whole D-" Gils' statement cut short as he passed the threshold the four of us watched as he lost consciousness falling just outside of the room.
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~End of Chapter 8
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