I sat down next to my mother, who was leaning against one of the many broken walls of our house. She had been bandaged up by the guys Madelyn called Cloaks, the same guys who were now all around the neighborhood repairing the damage that hadn't been magically reset with whatever magic they had used before.
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I watched with confusion as they placed the small boxes that were on their backs on the ground. They opened up those boxes, and inside, I could just barely see what looked like small vials, each one holding a strange liquid with a different color. On the side of the vials, held in place on the very side of the box, seemed to be small pieces of paper with strange writing on them.
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The hooded guys took a single piece of one of these slips of paper, held it up to their face, and began to chant something that I couldn't hear.
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Then they let go of the small paper, letting it float slowly to the ground. As soon as it touched the ground, it began to morph into a small white creature that actually looked a little cute. The creature was as small as a fist and had no features as it took on a human shape with a strange symbol on its face.
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"Whoa..." I said, not realizing that I was talking out loud.
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"Interesting, aren't they?" Madelyn said, appearing beside me out of nowhere.
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I couldn't help but let out a small yelp in shock as I turned to face her.
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"Sorry," she said, smiling awkwardly. "I guess your nerves are still on high alert after what happened."
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"It's fine," I said, trying to regain my composure. "So... um, these guys are going to fix our house with those things?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
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"They're called Willensschiki, small little manifestations of a person's will given form," Madelyn explained.
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"That's a big word," I remarked, looking at the little guys carrying small pieces of wood and rocks.
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"It's German," Madelyn said.
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"Yeah, sounds like it," I replied, observing the other Cloaks who were assisting their little Willen-somethings with the hard work, grabbing the much bigger rocks and debris and piling it all up in a single pile.
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"Are they pillars?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. The feeling I got from them was off, as if I was looking at people who didn't belong. It was a different feeling from Madelyn, weaker but still dark.
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"They're not pillars," Madelyn said, her arms crossed. "They are the very thing us Pillars are trying to prevent."
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"What?" I asked.
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"They have the Blight," Madelyn explained. "The Blight is a demonic disease caused when organic matter comes in contact with Demonic energy. That organic matter will soon disintegrate after experiencing intense pain from the infection."
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I didn't know what to say; it sounded so horrible to even put into words.
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"That's one of the many reasons why we hunt demons, to stop that infection," Madelyn added.
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"So then wait!" I exclaimed. "A-are we infected? I mean, we were fighting that demon for so long, all that poison touched our skin!" I yelled, panicking.
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"Don't worry," Madelyn said with a small smile. "Pillars are immune; after all, we have a demon sealed within our bodies."
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"Uh, yeah, duh," I said, realizing the obvious.
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"But people, not so much," Madelyn said as she looked towards the Cloaks.
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"You said that this disease takes people's lives," I said. "They don't look dead."
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"They're the lucky ones," Madelyn said, her eyes becoming sad. "They were able to scrape by with just a little bit of life, but their lives are forever changed." Madelyn explained. "Now they are forced to live in our world, help fight our battles; a normal life is forever taken from them."
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I stood there and listened as Madelyn explained how Cloaks all have a strange burn mark somewhere on their body. She explained how their lifespans are cut short by half and how they can wield strange abilities in the form of talismans and other artifacts that Pillars are unable to use. They can create spatial fields devoid of life for Pillars to fight in and create concoctions that can heal many injuries and wounds.
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All in all, a Cloak is a Pillar's assistant, but as I looked at Madelyn, I could tell that it was much more than that.
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"Pillars have a responsibility to protect the people," Madelyn explained. "When we fail our mission, people get hurt, they get killed, or cursed," she said. "That's why my grandfather got so angry when that demon escaped."
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It wasn't hard for me to remember the old man's anger, his serious tone as he spoke to his granddaughter.
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Madelyn let out a sigh. "Cloaks are created because Pillars failed to do their job, and therefore they represent a Pillar's greatest shame."
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Madelyn cared; I could see that. I could tell that she would do anything to help these guys. She hated being a Pillar; she obviously hated this life. It wasn't hard to tell why.
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"Either way..." Madelyn said, turning towards me. "It's about time you said goodbye," Madelyn said.
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"What do you mean?" I asked.
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Madelyn's blue eyes began to shift away from me to something behind me. I slowly turned my head towards the direction Madelyn was looking and saw... "Mom?"
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Madelyn put her hand on my shoulder. I looked into Madelyn's eyes and could tell exactly what she was thinking.
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"It's time to say goodbye to your mom," Madelyn said.
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I looked back towards my unconscious mother and couldn't even imagine saying goodbye, not to her, or my sister.
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"You have to," Madelyn said, her voice low. "If you stay, you will only bring them pain. I'm sorry, Ethan, but this is for the best."
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I could feel tears in my eyes. Shit, I hated crying. "Mom..."
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"I can't do it..." I said.
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"You must," Madelyn said immediately. "You must for you and for them."
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Madelyn, I get what you're saying, but this world you're talking about? I know nothing about it. And this... this is my family."
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Madelyn, her gaze sympathetic, seemed unsure of how to navigate this conversation. "I can't just leave, not with the house destroyed, my mother unconscious, and my sister not even home yet," I protested, my eyes fixed on my mother's still form.
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With a reassuring smile, Madelyn asserted, "Don't worry. My family will handle everything."
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A puzzled "What? How?" escaped my lips.
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"That's not important," she replied, her focus unwavering. "What is, is that you can never see them again. Soon, the dark aura that surrounds this place will dissipate, and these people can go back to living their ordinary lives."
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I met Madelyn's unwavering gaze, realizing there was no room for negotiation. I had to leave my family.
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I walked towards my mom and reached out to hug her. I was crying my eyes out, but I didn't think that Madelyn could see. I hoped she couldn't.
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"I'm sorry, Mom," I whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go," I said. "I have to leave you and my knucklehead sister..." I smiled, even though I wasn't even close to feeling happy. "I'll love you always, and no matter where I go, I'll always be your son."
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***
Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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